The governor of Puerto Rico is requesting Congress send billions of dollars in emergency relief before the end of the year as the U.S. territory continues to repair after being pummeled by summer hurricanes.
Noting that Congress is set for recess in the coming days, Puerto Rican Gov. Ricardo Rossello said in a letter Saturday to congressional leaders of both parties: “I implore you to use this critical window of opportunity” to approve the funding.
He said the funding would be used for housing and infrastructure and “to recover in a manner that makes Puerto Rico more resilient in the future so that we can avoid a crisis of this scale from ever happening again.”
NEW: PR Gov. Rossello sends letter to congressional leaders calling for further emergency assistance before end of year:
“No governor should ever be put in the position of having to deny that hope in the aftermath of a catastrophic disaster due to the inaction of Congress.” pic.twitter.com/fDQfoVutXT
— NBC News (@NBCNews) December 16, 2017
Rossello asked the federal government for $94 billion in mid-November to help the island’s 3.4 million residents after Congress already approved a spending law that provided $5 billion in aid.
Puerto Rico was devastated by storms in the late days of the summer, leaving much of the territory islands without power and many of its citizens stranded.
Other areas in the U.S. like Houston, Texas, also suffered major hurricane damage, though Puerto Rico was already coping with massive government debt, compounding its problems.
