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Trump Warns Puerto Rico Weeks After Storms: Federal Help Cannot Stay ‘Forever’ Trump Warns Storm-Ravaged Puerto Rico That Aid Won’t Last ‘Forever’
(about 1 hour later)
WASHINGTON — President Trump suggested again on Thursday that Puerto Rico bore some of the blame for its current crisis following twin hurricanes, and warned that there were limits to how long he would keep troops and federal emergency workers on the island to help. WASHINGTON — The message was as stark as it was startling. Three weeks after a killer hurricane ravaged Puerto Rico, President Trump indicated on Thursday that he was losing patience. At least some of the blame for the continuing crisis is yours, he told the island territory, and the federal government will not stay “forever.”
Mr. Trump, who has been criticized for a slow and not always empathetic response to the storms that ravaged the United States territory, sounded off in a series of early-morning Twitter posts. Angry about the criticism, he has sought to refocus blame to where he believes it belongs — the leadership of the island itself, which in his view mismanaged its affairs long before the winds blew apart its infrastructure. While most residents endured another day without power and many without water or other basic services, Mr. Trump upbraided Puerto Rico’s leadership for mismanagement that predated the storm and said troops and emergency workers would eventually leave. Caught off guard, his advisers scrambled to reassure Puerto Rico that Washington was not abandoning it.
“‘Puerto Rico survived the Hurricanes, now a financial crisis looms largely of their own making.’ says Sharyl Attkisson,” he wrote, citing the host of a public affairs show on Sinclair Broadcast Group television stations. “A total lack of accountability say the Governor. Electric and all infrastructure was disaster before hurricanes. Congress to decide how much to spend. We cannot keep FEMA, the Military & the First Responders, who have been amazing (under the most difficult circumstances) in P.R. forever!” The president’s warning came on the same day the House approved $36.5 billion in aid for natural disasters, including in Puerto Rico, with the tab rising weekly. Federal agencies expect to spend years helping the island rebuild. But Mr. Trump, who has been criticized for a slow and not always empathetic response to the storms that devastated Puerto Rico, sought to refocus responsibility to where he believes it belongs.
The threat may mean less than it appears — federal government officials quickly said that they were not pulling out of Puerto Rico anytime soon. But it provoked another wave of criticism from the island and its supporters who expressed astonishment that the president would assail the very people he was supposed to be assisting. “ ‘Puerto Rico survived the Hurricanes, now a financial crisis looms largely of their own making.’ says Sharyl Attkisson,” he wrote on Twitter, citing the host of a public affairs show on Sinclair Broadcast Group television stations. “A total lack of accountability say the Governor. Electric and all infrastructure was disaster before hurricanes. Congress to decide how much to spend. We cannot keep FEMA, the Military & the First Responders, who have been amazing (under the most difficult circumstances) in P.R. forever!”
Carmen Yulín Cruz, the mayor of the capital of San Juan who has been critical of Mr. Trump’s response and blasted by him in return, condemned his latest message as adding “insult to injury” and called on international organizations to step in to prevent “the genocide that will result from” Mr. Trump’s inaction. The tweets set off alarms in San Juan, the Puerto Rican capital, where Ricardo A. Rosselló, the governor, anxiously called John F. Kelly, the White House chief of staff, to seek an explanation. Mr. Kelly reassured him that no federal resources were being withdrawn anytime soon and then made an unannounced visit to the White House briefing room to repeat the message for the news media.
“Our country will stand with those American citizens in Puerto Rico until the job is done,” Mr. Kelly said. The president, he asserted, merely meant that eventually the federal government would complete its mission. “The whole point is to start to work yourself out of a job,” he said.
Shortly after, his deputy, Kirstjen Nielsen, in accepting Mr. Trump’s nomination to succeed Mr. Kelly as secretary of homeland security, added her own soothing words. “I also know that this rebuilding will take years, and I want to echo what the president has said many times: We will remain fully engaged in the long recovery effort ahead of us,” she said in the East Room.
But Mr. Trump did not say that on Thursday, even given the opportunity to clarify at the ceremony formally announcing Ms. Nielsen’s nomination. Instead, his message provoked another wave of criticism from the island and its supporters. They expressed astonishment that Mr. Trump would assail the very people he was supposed to be assisting, in contrast to the tone he has taken with Florida and Texas, where National Guard troops and Federal Emergency Management Agency workers are also still helping with hurricane recovery.
Carmen Yulín Cruz, the mayor of San Juan, who has been critical of Mr. Trump’s response and rebuked by him in return, condemned his latest message as adding “insult to injury” and called on international organizations to step in to prevent “the genocide that will result from” Mr. Trump’s inaction.
“Tweet away your hate to mask your administration’s mishandling of this humanitarian crisis,” she said, addressing the president. “While you are amusing yourself throwing paper towels at us, your compatriots and the world are sending love and help our way. Condemn us to a slow death of nondrinkable water, lack of food, lack of medicine while you keep others eager to help from reaching us.”“Tweet away your hate to mask your administration’s mishandling of this humanitarian crisis,” she said, addressing the president. “While you are amusing yourself throwing paper towels at us, your compatriots and the world are sending love and help our way. Condemn us to a slow death of nondrinkable water, lack of food, lack of medicine while you keep others eager to help from reaching us.”
Gov. Ricardo Rosselló was more restrained as he has been through previous rounds of criticism by Mr. Trump. After the tweets on Thursday morning, he called the White House and said he received assurances that the president fully supported recovery efforts in Puerto Rico. Mr. Rosselló was more restrained, as he has been through previous rounds of criticism by Mr. Trump. “I reiterate my plea that, as U.S. citizens, we are not asking for better treatment or less treatment,” he said. “We are asking for equal treatment. We’re not asking for anything that another U.S. jurisdiction, having passed through the same situation, wouldn’t be asking at this juncture.”
“I reiterate my plea that, as U.S. citizens, we are not asking for better treatment or less treatment,” Mr. Rosselló said. “We are asking for equal treatment. We’re not asking for anything that another U.S. jurisdiction, having passed through the same situation, wouldn’t be asking at this juncture.” Three weeks after Hurricane Maria hit, 83 percent of the island was still without power, 36 percent had no running water and 45 percent was without telecommunication services.
Puerto Rico was already facing deep financial troubles before Hurricanes Irma and Maria swept across the island, knocking out many basic services. Three weeks after Maria hit, 83 percent of the island was still without power, 36 percent had no running water and 45 percent was without telecommunication services. Hospitals are operating on generator power, which is expensive and unreliable. Although 86 percent of supermarkets are now open, the government could not ensure that they were fully stocked. And major roadways have been cleared of debris, but many Puerto Ricans are still relying on FEMA for food and water delivered to neighborhoods by local governments.
While some sort of normalcy has been restored in San Juan, residents of the more isolated interior municipalities were still struggling with a precarious health situation and problems with aid distribution. Although 86 percent of supermarkets are now open, the government could not ensure that they were fully stocked with food and water. On a helicopter trip on Thursday morning to Cidra, a small city an hour south of San Juan, the devastated landscape was speckled with homes that were without roofs and covered with tarps. Almost every street was lined with huge piles of tree branches and other debris beginning to rot and stink.
Despite Mr. Trump’s tweets, administration officials said the federal government would be helping Puerto Rico recover from storm damage for years. The Federal Emergency Management Agency posted its own message on Twitter: “.@FEMA will be w/Puerto Rico, USVI, every state, territory impacted by a disaster every day, supporting throughout their response & recovery.” Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Buchanan, who is leading the United States military effort in Puerto Rico, said conditions were only somewhat better since he arrived two weeks ago. “It’s still complete devastation across the island,” he said. “It’s going to take a long time to fix.”
Other agencies were committed to long-term efforts as well. The United States Army Corps of Engineers, for example, is helping rebuild the electrical grid badly damaged by the storm, a construction effort that could take years. In addition, other agencies helping in recovery efforts, like the Coast Guard and Customs and Border Protection, have a permanent presence on the island and are unlikely to go anywhere. Responding to Mr. Trump’s tweets this morning that the military could not stay in Puerto Rico forever, General Buchanan said: “That’s true. We don’t do recovery. We do emergency response.”
As for Mr. Trump’s assertion that he could not keep “first responders” on the island forever, one official called it nonsense. Such responders include police officers, firefighters and paramedics from localities around the United States who are not under the control of the president. He also said he had experienced no pressure to start pulling out troops: “Not at all, none whatsoever. I’ve gotten everything I’ve asked for.”
While search and rescue operations and storm-related deaths are becoming less common, the situation on much of the island remained precarious. Hospitals are operating on generator power, which is expensive and unreliable. And major roadways have been cleared of debris, opening access to cities, but many Puerto Ricans are still relying on FEMA to provide food and water, which are being delivered to neighborhoods by local governments. FEMA posted a Twitter message reassuring Puerto Ricans that it would be there “every day,” and other agencies were committed to long-term efforts, as well. The Army Corps of Engineers is helping rebuild the electrical grid, which could take years. The Coast Guard and Customs and Border Protection have a permanent presence on the island and are unlikely to go anywhere.
Even those who have gone back to work are expending an unsustainable level of resources to function. Without running water or electricity in their homes, those who can afford it are relying on generators, which are expensive to fuel, to light their homes and keep food cold, buying batteries to power fans and drinking bottled water exclusively. A former official in the George W. Bush administration noted that the federal government kept at least some military presence in New Orleans for nearly a year after Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005 and that the government took more than five years for recovery efforts over all.
On a helicopter trip Thursday morning to Cidra, a small city an hour south of San Juan, the devastated landscape was speckled with homes that were still without roofs, and were covered with tarps. Almost every street was lined with huge piles of tree branches and other debris beginning to rot and stink.
Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Buchanan, who is leading the United States military effort in Puerto Rico, said that conditions were only somewhat improved since he arrived two weeks ago. “It’s still complete devastation across the island,” he said. “It’s going to take a long time to fix.”
Responding to Mr. Trump’s tweets this morning that the military could not stay in Puerto Rico forever, he said, “That’s true. We don’t do recovery, we do emergency response.”
“Right now we’re still in the emergency response, so it is necessary,” he said.
He said that he had not experienced pressure from military leadership to start pulling troops off the island. “Not at all, none whatsoever,” he said. “I’ve gotten everything I’ve asked for.”
Mr. Trump has alternately praised the federal response and expressed frustration that so much has been required. Unlike after hurricanes struck Texas and Florida, he has complained that Puerto Rico was ruining the federal budget.
Puerto Rico, which was struggling with a debt crisis before the storms hit, may run out of money by the end of the month, and Mr. Trump asked Congress on Tuesday for a $4.9 billion loan to help pay its most pressing obligations amid warnings that it would not be able to pay teachers and health care providers. That comes after Mr. Trump already requested $29 billion for storm recovery efforts.
The House planned to take up disaster aid on Thursday, and Speaker Paul D. Ryan was set to travel on Friday to Puerto Rico with a bipartisan delegation for a firsthand assessment of the damage. “We need to stand with the people of Puerto Rico as they work to rebuild their communities,” Mr. Ryan told reporters.
The president’s expression of impatience with the length of the recovery effort after just three weeks stood in contrast to the federal investment after prior storms. A former official in the George W. Bush administration noted that the federal government kept at least some military in New Orleans for nearly a year after Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005 and that the government took more than five years for recovery efforts over all.
“It’s fairly typical for FEMA, D.H.S. and other executive agencies to be on the ground running recovery operations for years to come,” said James Norton, the former official, who worked at the Department of Homeland Security under Mr. Bush. “I would expect them to be operating in Texas and Florida for the next couple of years.”“It’s fairly typical for FEMA, D.H.S. and other executive agencies to be on the ground running recovery operations for years to come,” said James Norton, the former official, who worked at the Department of Homeland Security under Mr. Bush. “I would expect them to be operating in Texas and Florida for the next couple of years.”
Puerto Rico’s financial crisis has been decades in the making, resulting in $74 billion in public debt. Earlier this year, the government of Puerto Rico filed for bankruptcy-like protection in federal court to stave off creditors, including mutual funds and hedge funds. The island got into its current mess after bad fiscal management in which it issued bonds to finance day-to-day operations when tax receipts could not cover the costs. Puerto Rico’s financial crisis has been decades in the making, resulting in $74 billion in public debt. This year, the government filed for bankruptcylike protection in federal court to stave off creditors, including mutual funds and hedge funds. The island got into its mess after bad fiscal management in which it issued bonds to finance day-to-day operations when tax receipts could not cover the costs.
The situation got worse after Congress, about a decade ago, decided to phase out some of the tax exemptions that had made Puerto Rico a favorable location for some pharmaceutical companies and other businesses to set up shop. The move prompted some business to leave the island, resulting in lower tax revenues and many residents moving to the mainland United States for jobs. The situation got worse after Congress about a decade ago phased out tax exemptions that made Puerto Rico a favorable location for pharmaceutical companies and other businesses to set up shop. Some businesses left, resulting in lower tax revenue and an outflow of workers to the mainland United States seeking jobs.
Puerto Rico’s economy has been in a recession for about a decade and the poverty rate on the island is about 45 percent. The devastation caused by Maria will make it even more difficult for the economy to recover as some are estimating hundreds of thousands more residents can leave Puerto Rico if electricity is not restored soon. Puerto Rico’s economy has been in a recession for about a decade, and its poverty rate is about 45 percent. Hundreds of thousands of residents may leave if electricity is not restored soon. And while many luxury resorts may be fully operational by year’s end, there is growing concern about whether tourists will flock to the island when so many are living in desperate straits.
And while many of the luxury resorts in the San Juan area are expected to be fully operational by year’s end, there is growing concern about whether tourists will flock to the island at a time when so many are living in desperate straights. Tourism supports about 65,000 jobs in Puerto Rico. Mr. Trump’s tweets left advisers in an awkward position. At a House hearing on Thursday, Ben Carson, the secretary of housing and urban development, seemed deeply uncomfortable under questioning from Representative Maxine Waters, Democrat of California, who pressed him on whether he agreed with the president.
Mr. Trump’s tweets left his advisers in the awkward position of trying to explain what he meant or distancing themselves from his apparent meaning. At a House hearing on Thursday, Ben Carson, the secretary of housing and urban development, seemed deeply uncomfortable under questioning from Representative Maxine Waters of California, a Democrat who pressed him on whether he agreed with the president.
“So you don’t agree that it should be abandoned, is that right?” she asked.“So you don’t agree that it should be abandoned, is that right?” she asked.
“Of course it should not be abandoned,” he replied.“Of course it should not be abandoned,” he replied.
“Should they be shamed for its own plight?” she asked.“Should they be shamed for its own plight?” she asked.
“I don’t think it is beneficial to go around shaming people in general,” he said.“I don’t think it is beneficial to go around shaming people in general,” he said.