President Trump Threatens To Pull FEMA From Puerto Rico Amid Crisis In Twitter Rant

President Donald J. Trump took to Twitter early Thursday to vent his apparent frustration with Puerto Rico blaming its poor infrastructure and electrical grid as reasons to withhold future funding for relief efforts in the wake of Hurricane Maria.

Starting off with a quote from Sharyl Attkisson, the host of a weekly news-magazine show for conservative-leaning Sinclair Broadcasting, his rant began by blaming the island’s financial crisis not on the hurricane but instead on its roughly 3.4 million inhabitants.

 

Then, taking a jab at the island’s Governor Ricardo Rossello, Trump went on the say that the leadership of Puerto Rico lacked accountability, pointing out that the island’s infrastructure was a “disaster” before the hurricane.

 

Congress later this afternoon is set to vote on a $36 billion aid package, the largest since Hurricane Sandy, to be largely spent on the recovery effort in Puerto Rico itself.

 

Senate Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D- N.Y.) did not hold back on their reactions to the Presidents tweets.

 

Schumer took a similar stance.

 

Three weeks since Hurricane Maria made landfall the island and its 3.4 million residents still largely lack electricity and clean water. Commerce has slowed with many businesses still closed and it remains a struggle to find adequate medical care as supplies run short.  As of Wednesday, The New York Times reports that only 43 of the island’s 72 open hospitals are currently operating with power. 

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) which President Trump says cannot stay “forever” is working closely with the island’s leadership including Gov. Ricardo in managing the relief effort. FEMA chief Brock Long stated earlier this week that the agency was “making progress every day” and is working “with the governor.”