PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP IS SUPPORTING THE PEOPLE OF PUERTO RICO AS THEY CONTINUE TO REBUILD FOLLOWING NATURAL DISASTERS

 

Office of the Press Secretary FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 18, 2020 PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP IS SUPPORTING THE PEOPLE OF PUERTO RICO AS THEY CONTINUE TO REBUILD FOLLOWING NATURAL DISASTERS “We're also praying for the people of Puerto Rico. We love Puerto Rico.” – President Donald J. Trump REBUILDING PUERTO RICO’S INFRASTRUCTURE: President Donald J. Trump and the Trump Administration are awarding major new infrastructure grants to aid Puerto Rico’s recovery. Today, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced plans to award nearly $13 billion – including $11.6 billion in Federal funding – for new infrastructure grants to Puerto Rico. These grants are two of the largest grants ever awarded by FEMA, together exceeding the total disaster Public Assistance program funding for any other single disaster declared by a President outside of Hurricanes Katrina and Sandy. $9.6 billion of this funding will be granted to the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority to repair and rebuild the territory’s electrical grid system, which is important for economic growth and for Puerto Rico families. $2 billion is slated for the Puerto Rico Department of Education to help restore school buildings and other educational facilities across the island. These latest grants illustrate President Trump’s unwavering commitment to rebuilding Puerto Rico and aiding Puerto Ricans as they continue to recover from multiple natural disasters. PROVIDING DISASTER RELIEF: President Trump has provided billions in aid and strong support to help Puerto Rico recover from devastating natural disasters. With the grant awards announced today, the Federal Government will have obligated approximately $26 billion for Puerto Rico’s recovery from Hurricane Maria. These funds vastly exceed Puerto Rico’s annual governmental budget of approximately $9 billion. The Trump Administration’s swift and historic response to Hurricane Maria reached unprecedented levels, including the deployment of thousands of Federal employees and the coordination of dozens of Federal agencies. The response included FEMA’s longest sustained air mission of food and water delivery, largest disaster commodity distribution mission, and largest sea-bridge operation. President Trump authorized funding for 100 percent of Puerto Rico’s emergency work cost-share for nearly a year following the storm—the third longest such funding has ever been granted by a President. President Trump and the Trump Administration worked hand-in-hand with Puerto Rico officials and assets on the ground to lead a truly historic response to rebuilding the island. UNPRECEDENTED RECOVERY SUPPORT: Thanks to President Trump’s actions, Puerto Ricans are successfully rebuilding and getting back to normal. Thanks to President Trump’s efforts, Puerto Rico’s water, electricity, and transportation sectors were restored following Hurricane Maria and other natural disasters. The Department of Energy, FEMA, and others have worked to modernize the island’s electrical grid, bringing safe, reliable, and resilient electricity to Puerto Ricans. The job market in Puerto Rico recovered quickly, with unemployment on the island hitting a record low of 7.5 percent in July 2019.