Kirsten Gillibrand, Bob Menendez push for more funding for Puerto Rico
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-New York and Sen. Bob Menendez, D-New Jersey, urged their colleagues in Congress on Thursday to further fund hurricane relief efforts in Puerto Rico, as the the island continues to struggle months after it was ravaged by Hurricane Maria.
Both Gillibrand and Menendez have sizable constituencies from Puerto Rico, and with another government spending deadline fast approaching, they want Congress to provide more funding than it already has. So far, Congress and the Trump administration have signed off on more than $36 billion in disaster relief for Puerto Rico and other disaster-affected areas, and the White House has asked for more. But Puerto Rico says more is still needed.
Much of Puerto Rico's residents are still in need of safe drinking water and electricity. As of this week, only 65 percent of the island has electricity, CBS News' David Begnaud reports.
"You see families with pain on their faces, who clearly are trying to tell Congress that 'we need help,'" Gillibrand said.
Gillibrand urged her colleagues to pay heed to Puerto Rico's governor, who wants still more federal funding for recovery efforts. Gov. Ricardo Rossello estimates the U.S. Caribbean territory's economy will shrink by about 11 percent by 2019, and its population will dip by about 8 percent, staggering numbers economically speaking.
Gillibrand chastised the federal government's response to to Puerto Rico, which critics have characterized as too little and too slow.
"How long must these families wait? How long must these communities suffer?" Gillibrand said.
Menendez, who faces a retrial of his criminal corruption case, described how the island is still in disrepair, and the death toll continues to climb. He voiced frustration over President Trump's visit to the island, in which Mr. Trump tossed paper towel rolls into the crowd at a church. On that trip, the president witnessed little devastation up close.
"To add insult the injury, the administration has failed to equip the people of Puerto Rico with the tools they need to rebuild and recover," Menendez said.