Trump complains about Puerto Rico hurricane victims taking money from ‘our farmers’
President appears to dismiss plight of Puerto Ricans despite it being a US territory
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Your support makes all the difference.Donald Trump has complained Puerto Rico hurricane victims – who are US citizens – are taking money from “our farmers” in an angry late night Twitter tirade.
“The Democrats today killed a Bill that would have provided great relief to Farmers and yet more money to Puerto Rico despite the fact that Puerto Rico has already been scheduled to receive more hurricane relief funding than any ‘place’ in history,” Mr Trump tweeted on Monday evening.
“The people of Puerto Rico are GREAT, but the politicians are incompetent or corrupt. Puerto Rico got far more money than Texas & Florida combined, yet their government can’t do anything right, the place is a mess – nothing works.”
The US president failed to provide any evidence Puerto Rico, which is a US territory, has received the most hurricane relief aid in history, or that its politicians have used the funds corruptly.
Democrats on Monday voted against a Republican disaster aid bill, complaining the $600m (£460m) in food stamps offered to the US territory, which is still recovering from 2017’s Hurricane Maria, failed to go far enough.
The bill included money for a number of states recovering from disasters, including midwestern ones hit by flooding.
“FEMA & the Military worked emergency miracles, but politicians like the crazed and incompetent Mayor of San Juan have done such a poor job of bringing the Island back to health,” Mr Trump continued.
“91 Billion Dollars to Puerto Rico, and now the Dems want to give them more, taking dollars away from our Farmers and so many others. Disgraceful!”
In fact, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema) was widely criticised for its failure to adequately prepare for Hurricane Maria, and while Democrats do want additional funding for the island, they do not want it at the expense of US farmers struggling with unprecedented flooding.
It comes days after it was reported Mr Trump has repeatedly complained about additional relief money going to Puerto Pico.
A senior administration official told The Washington Post: “He doesn’t want another single dollar going to the island.”
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