President Trump complained in a private lunch Tuesday with Senate Republicans about the amount of disaster aid designated for Puerto Rico as lawmakers prepare for a standoff over funds for the island, according to officials familiar with the meeting.
President Trump, accompanied by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell , left, and Sen. Roy Blunt , talks to reporters as he arrives for a Senate Republican policy lunch on Capitol Hill in Washington on Tuesday.
In the past, Trump has asked advisors how to reduce money for Puerto Rico and signaled that he won’t support any more aid beyond food stamp funds. At the lunch Tuesday, Trump rattled off the amount of aid that had been designated for other disaster-hit states and compared it with the amount allocated for Puerto Rico after the 2017 hurricane, an amount he said was too high, according to the officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe the private meeting.
Trump remarked that one could buy Puerto Rico four times over for $91 billion, according to people familiar with his comments. Congress has appropriated nearly $20 billion in HUD relief funds for Puerto Rico — which accounts for one type of federal aid that areas ravaged by natural disasters can get. Of that pot of money, $1.5 billion has been approved for spending.
“House Democrats oppose this bill because it does not adequately address disaster relief and recovery in Puerto Rico and the territories,” said Evan Hollander, a spokesman for the Democratic-led House Appropriations Committee. “If the Senate passes this bill, we will insist on going to conference to ensure that we meet the needs of all Americans.”
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