Trump administration announces $13 billion in aid to Puerto Rico [View all]

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Source: The Hill

The Trump administration on Friday announced an additional $13 billion in assistance to help Puerto Rico rebuild its infrastructure in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, which devastated the island in 2017.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will award grants designed to bolster Puerto Rico's electrical grid and spur recovery of its education system.

Roughly $9.6 billion in funding will be directed toward the Puerto Rico Electrical Power Authority to repair electrical substations, power generation systems and transmission lines. Another $2 billion will be used to restore school buildings and educational facilities.

The White House touted the funding as evidence of the administration's commitment to the island.

Read more: https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/517073-trump-administration-announces-13-billion-in-aid-to-puerto-rico

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The recovery efforts in Puerto Rico have been slow and at times hampered by Trump, who has lashed out at criticism over his response to Hurricane Maria. The storm crippled island infrastructure for months, and a government-commissioned study found that nearly 3,000 people died as a result of the hurricane.

Trump has questioned the death toll, claiming it was inflated to make him look bad. He has repeatedly gone after the mayor of San Juan and derided the island as "one of the most corrupt places on earth."

Island officials have complained that aid has been slow to roll in from the administration. The Department of Housing and Urban Development earlier this year lifted a months-long hold on roughly $8 billion in disaster aid to help the island rebuild.