President Trump at his recent Florida rally lied about federal disaster aid provided to Puerto Rico, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said.
Schumer, D-N.Y., called Trump’s comments at the Panama City Beach rally “all the usual demagoguery and bloviating,” and challenged Trump’s claim that hurricane-ravaged Puerto Rico received $91 billion in federal disaster aid. Schumer said the U.S. territory has been provided only $11 billion so far.
Schumer said the speech “pit Americans against each other,” and encouraged the audience to “turn against Americans in Puerto Rico.”
Trump announced at the event he would provide $448 million for Florida communities still recovering from Hurricane Michael, a category 5 storm which struck the Panhandle last summer.
Congress is working to reach a deal on a new disaster aid package for communities affected by a recent string of natural disasters, including Midwest flooding and fires in California.
[Related: Rick Scott trades Twitter blows with Chuck Schumer over Puerto Rico aid]
Democrats want the package to include new money for Puerto Rico, which was devastated by two hurricanes in 2017. Trump is opposed to providing additional federal disaster aid to Puerto Rico.
Trump, during the rally, pulled a piece of paper out of his jacket that showed Puerto Rico received the largest share of recent disaster funding.
Much of the money has not been handed off to Puerto Rico, however.
Schumer said the stalled aid package will go nowhere until Trump agrees to provide more funding to Puerto Rico.
“The House will never pass a bill that doesn’t treat Puerto Rico as fairly as it treats other states of the union,” Schumer said.
