Opinion: Congress must step up to help Puerto Rico
A Puerto Rican woman applies for an assistance program at the Department of Family Affairs in Bayamon, Puerto Rico, on March 29. By Javier Balmaceda April 5 at 1:55 PM Javier Balmaceda is a senior policy analyst at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.
Even before Hurricanes Irma and Maria devastated Puerto Rico in late 2017, poverty and hunger were far more common there than anywhere else in the United States. More than 1 million people in Puerto Rico were food insecure, meaning they sometimes didn’t have access to affordable, nutritious food — including a whopping 56 percent of Puerto Rico’s children, which is more than three times the rate of food insecurity among families with children elsewhere in the United States.
After the two hurricanes, policymakers provided significant funding in October 2017 to enable Puerto Rico to raise NAP benefits and expand the number of people eligible for it. Unfortunately, these funds are now depleted, and NAP benefits have returned to previous low levels. Over the long run, the nation’s leaders should restructure NAP so that it operates like SNAP. For now, however, Puerto Rico needs the additional infusion of money to prevent more of its people from going without enough to eat.
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Puerto Rico struggles to get disaster aid amid Congress, Trump showdownPresident Trump amplified his opposition to granting more disaster funding to Puerto Rico in a series of tweets Tuesday morning — fueling a showdown between his party and Senate Democrats, who want to give more aid to the hurricane-battered island.
Read more »
Opinion | Trump’s new Puerto Rico hate-tweets rest on a very ugly premiseWhy does Trump assume Midwestern disaster victims will believe his lies about Puerto Rico disaster victims?
Read more »
Senate deadlocks on disaster relief proposals amid a partisan fight over Puerto Rico aidGet breaking national and world news, broadcast video coverage, and exclusive interviews. Find the top news online at ABC news.
Read more »
Disaster aid bill at risk of stalling as Trump and Democrats spar over Puerto RicoA massive emergency aid bill for victims of hurricanes, wildfires, flooding and other natural disasters was defeated in the Senate on Monday amid a fight between Democrats and Trump over relief for Puerto Rico.
Read more »
Massive disaster relief bill stalls in Senate over Puerto Rico disputeTrump says Democrats are “blocking funding and relief for our great farmers” as his rivals demand more aid for Puerto Rico.
Read more »
Disaster Aid Bill Fails to Clear Senate Hurdles Over Puerto Rico IssueA broad disaster aid package failed to clear procedural hurdles in the Senate as Democrats and Republicans quarreled over how much funding to provide to hurricane recovery efforts in Puerto Rico.
Read more »
Disaster relief legislation fails to advance in Senate amid Puerto Rico funding fightTwo competing legislative proposals aimed at providing disaster relief failed to advance in the Senate on Monday amid a fight over funding for hurricane-ravaged Puerto Rico.
Read more »
Puerto Rico Funding Dispute Threatens to Derail Disaster-Aid BillA dispute over how much disaster-recovery funding to provide to Puerto Rico is slowing progress of a disaster-aid package in Congress, with the GOP opposing Democrats’ push for more assistance for the island.
Read more »