Nearly two years after Hurricane Maria battered Puerto Rico, tensions between congressional Republicans and Democrats have reached new heights over the Trump administration’s response to the disaster.
This week Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., took on Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., accusing Democrats of being more interested in taking down President Trump than helping Puerto Rico.
Senate Democrats have condemned Republicans for the $13.45 billion emergency aid bill for national disaster relief in Puerto Rico that failed in the Senate earlier this month. That same week, Republicans proposed a $600 million assistance package to Puerto Rico, which Democrats immediately disparaged as being inadequate.
But Scott, who said on the campaign trail that he would take up the mantle as the de facto “senator of Puerto Rico,” hit back against the criticism. Directly addressing Schumer, Scott said, “Not only did [Schumer] block a bipartisan bill, now he’s lying about it,” referring to nutrition assistance legislation that Schumer and Senate Democrats sunk in a procedural vote.
“Our bill doesn’t strip funding for P.R. It includes $600 mil in nutrition assistance funding for P.R. that I fought to get in the bill,” Scott added.
Schumer responded to the Florida senator via Twitter, arguing the Republican bill was too limited.
“We all know [Trump] took all aid for Puerto Rico but nutrition assistance out of the bill. The bill has none of the long-term recovery [and] resilience aid PR has asked for repeatedly,” Schumer tweeted on Monday in response to Scott.
“Stop the bull. Stand up to the President,” he added.
Scott reminded Schumer that Florida is also waiting for more federal assistance after the state was hit by Hurricane Irma in the same season as Hurricane Maria, accusing Senate Democrats of using hurricane assistance as a political tool to score points against Trump.
“I’m working with [Republicans and Democrats] and the President to get a deal done. But it shouldn’t have taken this long. [Florida has] been waiting 6 months. The truth is, you’re more than happy to give Puerto Rico nothing if it helps prolong a political fight with Trump. That’s shameful,” Scott said to Schumer via Twitter.
I’m working with Rs, Ds and the President to get a deal done. But it shouldn’t have taken this long. FL’s been waiting 6 months.
The truth is, you’re more than happy to give Puerto Rico nothing if it helps prolong a political fight with Trump. That’s shameful. https://t.co/MHEYlrSdtj
— Rick Scott (@SenRickScott) April 15, 2019
Last month, Trump highlighted what he said was $91 billion in disaster relief for Puerto Rico. Other estimates put the amount of relief to Puerto Rico at closer to $40 million. Trump appeared to be confusing the amount for Puerto Rico with total disaster assistance appropriated by Congress, most of which was spent on destruction caused by hurricanes in Puerto Rico, Texas, and Florida.
“Puerto Rico has been taken care of better by Donald Trump than by any living human being,” the president said, in a third-person reference to himself. “And I think the people of Puerto Rico understand it.”
[Related: Trump claims he’s ‘the best thing’ to happen to Puerto Rico]
Trump also publicly criticized Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz of the capital city of San Juan, as well as Puerto Rican Gov. Ricardo Rosselló last month for their handling of the disaster relief money.
“You do have a mayor of San Juan that frankly doesn’t know what she is doing. And the governor — they gotta spend the money wisely,” the president said. “They don’t know how to spend the money, and they’re not spending it wisely.”
Trump also said he is giving $29 billion to Texas and $12 billion to Florida, both of which suffered devastating hurricanes in 2017.
