SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
A hurricane damaged house in Loiza, Puerto Rico. (Photo: Lorie Shaull/flickr/cc)
With Housing Assistance About to Be Yanked Away, Sen. Warrren Excoriates 'Shameful' Failure to Help Puerto Ricans
"FEMA's June 30th TSA deadline is forcing families to return to Puerto Rico before they have a home or school to return to and we will not stand for it."
Jun 29, 2018
With just hours before a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) deadline hits Puerto Rican hurricane survivors--ending the Transitional Sheltering Assistance and pushing roughly 1,800 families out of their temporary housing--Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) on Friday is urging the agency to extend the cutoff date for the assistance and admonishing its failure to activate a longer-term housing assistance program.
She also called it "shameful" that Republicans thwarted a legislative effort that would have offered needed relief:
"They have nowhere to go," Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) said Thursday on the Senate floor. "Some of them have lost everything because of these storms."
"Too many are still unable to find work or to find affordable housing. ... For many of them, the only thing that they have is the help that FEMA is providing," he added.
Of the Disaster Housing Assistance Program (DHAP), which would provide longer-term assistance, not being activated, he asked, "If it was good enough for the people fleeing New Orleans in Hurricane Katrina, why isn't it good enough for the people that are equally devastated now in Florida having fled the deplorable conditions in their native island, our fellow U.S. citizens of Puerto Rico?"
His relief bill was rejected.
Citing the "dire need" still facing Puerto Ricans nine months after Hurricane Maria hit the island, Rep. Adriano Espaillat (D-N.Y.) joined Warren in spearheading a letter to FEMA Administrator Brock Long and Dept. of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Ben Carson.
"FEMA's June 30th TSA deadline is forcing families to return to Puerto Rico before they have a home or school to return to and we will not stand for it," the bicameral letter (pdf), also signed by over a dozen lawmakers including Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), states.
It goes on to say that the "assistance provided by FEMA and HUD has not amply addressed the island's vast infrastructural devastation."
"DHAP has historically been activated within two weeks of a disaster, while Puerto Ricans have waited over eight months for relief," the lawmakers write.
"Activate DHAP, extend the June 30the deadline, and help heal Puerto Rico," the letter concludes.
We are at a crossroads
This country and this world are at a monumental crossroads. US voters have an opportunity to beat back the forces of fascism and confront the billionaires who are rigging the economy, our media system, and our democracy, making it increasingly impossible for ordinary people to get by. We’re not just talking about the election. We’re talking about what must be done once these fascist elements are vanquished from power. We need a bolder set of solutions than what either major party has so far been willing to offer and a working-class movement ready to fight like hell for it. Trump didn't emerge from nowhere. The conditions that fueled MAGA authoritarianism were created by decades of radical neoliberal economic policies and a corrupt political system dominated by corporate interests. They slashed taxes on the super-rich, promising that the benefits would trickle down. They said giveaways to the corporate titans would make life more affordable for the rest of us. It was all bullshit. And when a bitter, betrayed populace searches for someone to blame, right-wing demagogues have little trouble finding scapegoats. People know when they're being lied to, but you won't hear any of this from the corporate media. Only independent journalism—powered and funded by people who believe in building a better world—can deliver truly trustworthy daily news. If you share our vision, please contribute whatever you can to sustain our work. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
With just hours before a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) deadline hits Puerto Rican hurricane survivors--ending the Transitional Sheltering Assistance and pushing roughly 1,800 families out of their temporary housing--Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) on Friday is urging the agency to extend the cutoff date for the assistance and admonishing its failure to activate a longer-term housing assistance program.
She also called it "shameful" that Republicans thwarted a legislative effort that would have offered needed relief:
"They have nowhere to go," Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) said Thursday on the Senate floor. "Some of them have lost everything because of these storms."
"Too many are still unable to find work or to find affordable housing. ... For many of them, the only thing that they have is the help that FEMA is providing," he added.
Of the Disaster Housing Assistance Program (DHAP), which would provide longer-term assistance, not being activated, he asked, "If it was good enough for the people fleeing New Orleans in Hurricane Katrina, why isn't it good enough for the people that are equally devastated now in Florida having fled the deplorable conditions in their native island, our fellow U.S. citizens of Puerto Rico?"
His relief bill was rejected.
Citing the "dire need" still facing Puerto Ricans nine months after Hurricane Maria hit the island, Rep. Adriano Espaillat (D-N.Y.) joined Warren in spearheading a letter to FEMA Administrator Brock Long and Dept. of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Ben Carson.
"FEMA's June 30th TSA deadline is forcing families to return to Puerto Rico before they have a home or school to return to and we will not stand for it," the bicameral letter (pdf), also signed by over a dozen lawmakers including Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), states.
It goes on to say that the "assistance provided by FEMA and HUD has not amply addressed the island's vast infrastructural devastation."
"DHAP has historically been activated within two weeks of a disaster, while Puerto Ricans have waited over eight months for relief," the lawmakers write.
"Activate DHAP, extend the June 30the deadline, and help heal Puerto Rico," the letter concludes.
With just hours before a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) deadline hits Puerto Rican hurricane survivors--ending the Transitional Sheltering Assistance and pushing roughly 1,800 families out of their temporary housing--Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) on Friday is urging the agency to extend the cutoff date for the assistance and admonishing its failure to activate a longer-term housing assistance program.
She also called it "shameful" that Republicans thwarted a legislative effort that would have offered needed relief:
"They have nowhere to go," Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) said Thursday on the Senate floor. "Some of them have lost everything because of these storms."
"Too many are still unable to find work or to find affordable housing. ... For many of them, the only thing that they have is the help that FEMA is providing," he added.
Of the Disaster Housing Assistance Program (DHAP), which would provide longer-term assistance, not being activated, he asked, "If it was good enough for the people fleeing New Orleans in Hurricane Katrina, why isn't it good enough for the people that are equally devastated now in Florida having fled the deplorable conditions in their native island, our fellow U.S. citizens of Puerto Rico?"
His relief bill was rejected.
Citing the "dire need" still facing Puerto Ricans nine months after Hurricane Maria hit the island, Rep. Adriano Espaillat (D-N.Y.) joined Warren in spearheading a letter to FEMA Administrator Brock Long and Dept. of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Ben Carson.
"FEMA's June 30th TSA deadline is forcing families to return to Puerto Rico before they have a home or school to return to and we will not stand for it," the bicameral letter (pdf), also signed by over a dozen lawmakers including Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), states.
It goes on to say that the "assistance provided by FEMA and HUD has not amply addressed the island's vast infrastructural devastation."
"DHAP has historically been activated within two weeks of a disaster, while Puerto Ricans have waited over eight months for relief," the lawmakers write.
"Activate DHAP, extend the June 30the deadline, and help heal Puerto Rico," the letter concludes.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.
To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good.
News & Opinion
Trending
Common Dreams, Inc. Founded 1997. Registered 501(c3) Non-Profit
Privacy Policy