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Federal policy on Puerto Rico, 2017-2018

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On September 20, 2017, President Donald Trump issued disaster declarations to provide federal funding for Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands after Hurricane Maria, a Category 4 storm, made landfall. His administration's response to the hurricane received mixed reviews. Puerto Rico's Gov. Ricardo Rosselló praised Trump's immediate response and leadership, while Carmen Yulin Cruz, the mayor of San Juan, wrote a letter criticizing Trump, saying that he was "incapable of empathy and frankly simply cannot get the job done."[1][2][3]

On October 12, 2017, by a vote of 353-69, the House passed legislation that would provide $36.5 billion in disaster relief funding. It proposed providing $18.7 billion for the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) disaster relief fund and $16 billion to address national flood insurance program debt. It proposed providing an additional $1.27 billion for disaster food assistance for Puerto Rico. The legislation passed the Senate by a vote of 82-17 on October 24, 2017. Trump signed the bill into law on October 26, 2017.[4][5][6]

This page tracked major events and policy positions of the Trump administration and the 115th United States Congress on Puerto Rico from 2017 and 2018. This page was updated through 2018. Think something is missing? Please email us at editor@ballotpedia.org.

Click on the timeline below to learn more about each headline.

Major events and policy announcements:

January 10, 2018: González introduces seven-member shadow congressional delegation for Puerto Rico

See also: Puerto Rico Statehood, Independence, Free Association, or Current Status Referendum (2017)

On January 10, 2018, Jenniffer González (R), the resident commissioner of Puerto Rico, introduced a seven-member shadow congressional delegation for Puerto Rico on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives.[7]

The shadow congressional delegation was proposed following a referendum, held on June 11, 2017, asking Puerto Ricans about the island territory’s future political status. More than 97 percent voted to request the admission of Puerto Rico into the U.S. as the 51st state. The referendum election featured voter turnout of 22.93 percent. The territory’s second and third largest political parties asked voters to boycott the referendum. The result of the referendum did not bind Congress to take action.[7]

Upon the statehood option prevailing on June 11, Gov. Ricardo Rosselló (D) planned to implement the Tennessee Plan. The plan was named after the events surrounding Tennessee becoming a U.S. state in 1796. The idea was to have the state government appoint two senators and five representatives and send them to Washington, D.C., to demand statehood. Tennessee did something similar in 1795 and gained statehood in 1796. Michigan, Iowa, California, Oregon, Kansas, and Alaska also used variations of the Tennessee Plan in attempts to gain statehood.

Rosselló (D) named the seven members, including two shadow senators—former Gov. Pedro Rosselló González (D) and Puerto GOP Committeewoman Zoraida Fonalledas (R)—and five shadow representatives—former Gov. Pedro Rosselló González (D), former Gov. Luis Fortuño (R), former territorial Senate President Charles Rodríguez (D), former Chief of the U.S. Office of Citizenship Alfonso Aguilar (R), and former MLB player Iván Rodríguez (I).[7]

González said that territorial status made Puerto Ricans second-class citizens, and Rosselló stated that hurricanes Irma and Maria showed “not only on a theory level, but on a pragmatic level, what it means to be a second-class citizen.” Rosselló said he would be active in the 2018 federal election cycle, advocating for candidates who supported statehood. He said he wanted Congress to provide Puerto Rico with a final, binding referendum on statehood or independence.[7]

September 20, 2017: Trump issues disaster declaration in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria makes landfall

On September 20, 2017, Trump issued disaster declarations to provide federal funding for Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands after Hurricane Maria, a Category 4 storm, made landfall. Trump tweeted about the hurricane, writing, “Puerto Rico being hit hard by new monster Hurricane. Be careful, our hearts are with you-will be there to help!”[1]

Puerto Rico's Gov. Ricardo Rosselló called Maria the "most devastating storm to hit the island this century, if not in modern history."[1]

Hurricane Maria made landfall in Puerto Rico on September 20, 2017, as a Category 4 storm with sustained winds of 155 mph. According to The Wall Street Journal, "It caused an estimated $40 billion to $85 billion in insured losses, mostly in Puerto Rico, catastrophe-modeling firm AIR Worldwide."[8][9]

September 28, 2017: Trump administration temporarily lifts Jones Act to help Puerto Rico recover from Hurricane Maria

On September 28, 2017, the White House announced that President Donald Trump waived the Jones Act for ten days to help Puerto Rico recover from Hurricane Maria. According to NBC News, “The Jones Act, otherwise known as the Merchant Marine Act of 1920, requires goods shipped between American ports to be carried out exclusively by ships built primarily in the United States, and to have U.S. citizens as its owners and crews.” The shipping restrictions were lifted to help residents of Puerto Rico quickly receive necessary aid.[10]

Acting Homeland Security Department Secretary Elaine Duke commented on the waiver, saying, "It is intended to ensure we have enough fuel and commodities to support lifesaving efforts, respond to the storm, and restore critical services and critical infrastructure operations in the wake of these devastating storms.”[10]

October 3, 2017: Trump visits Puerto Rico

On October 3, 2017, Trump visited Puerto Rico where he praised first responders and local leaders and handed out supplies to Puerto Ricans.

During a meeting with local leaders and members of his administration, Trump said, “I hate to tell you, Puerto Rico, but you've thrown our budget a little out of whack because we spent a lot of money on Puerto Rico, and that's fine. We saved a lot of lives.”[11]

Trump also noted that the death count was lower in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria than it was compared to Hurricane Katrina, which killed hundreds in New Orleans. He said, “If you looked — every death is a horror, but if you look at a real catastrophe like Katrina, and you look at the tremendous hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of people that died, and you look at what happened here with really a storm that was just totally overbearing, nobody has seen anything like this. What is your death count as of this morning, 17?"[11]

Ricardo Rosselló, the governor of Puerto Rico, said, “Sixteen people certified."[11]

Trump said, “Sixteen people certified versus in the thousands. You can be very proud of all of your people, all of our people working together. Sixteen versus literally thousands of people. You can be very proud.”[11]

October 12, 2017: Trump tweets about financial crisis in Puerto Rico; San Juan mayor criticizes Trump, asks Americans for help

On October 12, 2017, in a series of tweets, Trump wrote, "’Puerto Rico survived the Hurricanes, now a financial crisis looms largely of their own making.’ says Sharyl Attkisson. A total lack of accountability say the Governor. Electric and all infrastructure was disaster before hurricanes. Congress to decide how much to spend. We cannot keep FEMA, the Military & the First Responders, who have been amazing (under the most difficult circumstances) in P.R. forever!” The financial crisis Trump was referring to is the more than $70 billion Puerto Rico owes to creditors.[12][13][14]

In a public letter, Carmen Yulin Cruz, the mayor of San Juan, responded to Trump’s tweets, criticized his response to the hurricanes, and asked the American people for help. Part of her letter appears below.

“ Mr President, you seem to want to disregard the moral imperative that your administration has been unable to fulfill. Your replacement of the FEMA Coordinator in Puerto Rico is an admission that things are not going the way they should. Your tweets and comments just show desperation and underscore the inadequacy of your government’s response to this humanitarian crisis. It is not that you do not get it, it is that you are incapable of empathy and frankly simply cannot get the job done. ...

Tweet away your hate to mask your administration’s mishandling of this humanitarian crisis. While you are amusing yourself throwing paper towels at us, your compatriots and the world are sending love and help our way. Condemn us to a slow death of non drinkable water, lack of food, lack of medicine while you keep others eager to help from reaching us since they face the impediment of the Jones Act.

I ask every American that has love, and not hate in their hearts, to stand with Puerto Rico and let this President know we WILL NOT BE LEFT TO DIE. I ask the United Nations, UNICEF and the world to stand with the people of Puerto Rico and stop the genocide that will result from the lack of appropriate action of a President that just does not get it because he has been incapable of looking in our eyes and seeing the pride that burns fiercely in our hearts and souls.

No one needs an invitation to help, to feed the hungry, to cure the sick, to give a helping hand to those in need. Simply put: HELP US. WITHOUT ROBUST and CONSISTENT HELP, WE WILL DIE. Mr. President fulfill your moral imperative towards the people of Puerto Rico.[15]

”
—Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz[3]

October 19, 2017, Trump meets with Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rosselló

On October 19, 2017, Trump met with Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rosselló at the White House to discuss the response and recovery after Hurricane Maria hit the island. Trump said, “I give ourselves a 10. … Did we do a great job?”[2]

Rosselló replied, “You responded immediately, sir. … The response is there. Do we need to do a lot more? Of course we do … But with your leadership, sir, and with everybody over here, we’re committed to achieving that in the long run.”[2]

Comparing the hurricane relief efforts in Puerto Rico to those in Texas and Louisiana, Trump said, “Puerto Rico’s a different kind of situation because it requires infrastructure. The roads were in really horrific shape because of the storm, and sometimes because of before the storm.”[2]

According to The Wall Street Journal, “More than three-quarters of Puerto Rico lacks electric power and has limited access to health care and other basic needs. Already deeply troubled with more than $70 billion of debt, the island’s economy is starting to emerge from the devastation. Between $20 billion and $40 billion could be lost in productivity output due to the storm-related disruptions, according to a September Moody’s Analytics report.”[2]

October 26, 2017: Trump signs legislation to help hurricane recovery

On October 26, 2017, President Trump signed a measure into law that would provide $36.5 billion in emergency aid to Puerto Rico. This followed the Senate passing the legislation on October 24, 2017, and the House passing it on October 12, 2017.[6][5][4]

June 11, 2017: Puerto Ricans vote in favor of becoming the 51st state

On June 11, 2017, Puerto Ricans voted in favor of becoming the 51st state in a non-binding referendum. According to Reuters, 97 percent of voters supported statehood, but only 23 percent of eligible Puerto Rican voters participated in the referendum. In a statement after the referendum, Puerto Rico Governor Ricardo Rossello, who campaigned for statehood, said, "From today going forward, the Federal government will no longer be able to ignore the voice of the majority of the American citizens in Puerto Rico. ... It would be highly contradictory for Washington to demand democracy in other parts of the world, and NOT respond to the legitimate right to self-determination that was exercised today in the American territory of Puerto Rico."[16]

On June 17, 2017, Rep. Darren Soto (D-Fla.), who represented a portion of Central Florida with a high concentration of Puerto Rican voters, said, "There are a lot of people who will make creative arguments to ignore an election that just happened. ... We have elections in this country with varying degrees of turnout. And we don't look back. We have them, we have a result. Statehood would get directly to the debt issue."[17]

On June 11, 2017, ahead of the referendum vote, Rep. Luis V. Gutierrez (D-Ill.) issued a statement saying the referendum vote would not result in statehood for Puerto Rico regardless of the outcome. Gutierrez, whose parents were Puerto Rican immigrants and who supports Puerto Rican independence, wrote, in part, "Those who advocate statehood in Puerto Rico will claim that this Sunday’s vote is a referendum on statehood. That is a fiction, because it’s clear that only one party will participate in the one-sided election and because the U.S. Government has not made any sort of commitment to honor this vote. So, regardless of how carefully the Statehooders dress it up to look like a legitimate democratic process, the June 11 plebiscite is a farce."[18]

DOJ on political status referendum

Puerto Rico held a referendum on the territory's political status on June 11, 2017. The first version of the referendum was designed to ask voters to select one of two options: (i) statehood or (ii) free association/independence.[19] Gov. Ricardo Rosselló sent referendum material to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) on February 23, 2017.[20] Gov. Rosselló was seeking the disbursement of $2.5 million from the DOJ for the referendum. In 2014, Congress allocated $2.5 million to the DOJ for "objective, nonpartisan voter education about, and a plebiscite on, options that would resolve Puerto Rico’s future political status."[21]

Dana Boente, the acting deputy attorney general, responded on April 13, 2017. He said, "The Department [of Justice] has determined that multiple considerations preclude it from notifying Congress that it approves of the plebiscite ballot and obligating the funds." Boente stated that the referendum "should include the current territorial status as an option.” He also said a number of ambiguous and potentially misleading statements existed in the referendum text.[22]

In response to the letter from the DOJ, Puerto Rico's legislative assembly passed a bill to amend the referendum based on the department's comments. On April 19, 2017, Gov. Rosselló signed the bill into law, adding the option of current territorial status, alongside statehood and free association/independence, to the referendum.[23] He asked the DOJ for a response by April 22, 2017, but one was not received by that date.[24] On May 26, 2017, a DOJ spokesperson said, "The Department has not reviewed or approved the current ballot language and any suggestion to the contrary is incorrect."[25]

May 2017: Omnibus budget bill includes $295.9 million for Puerto Rico's Medicaid program

In May 2017, Congress passed and President Donald Trump signed an omnibus budget bill that included $295.9 million for Puerto Rico's Medicaid program. According to Rep. Jenniffer González-Colón, Puerto Rico's delegate to the U.S. House, the bill also included funding for a number of Puerto Rico-based projects. González-Colón wrote on Facebook:[26]

“ The so-called Omnibus included also appropriations to the Army Corps of Engineers of $281,000.00 for inspection of completed projects, $2.3 million for the San Juan Bay Estuary Project, and $1.46 million for improvement of the San Juan Harbor shipping channel; as well as funding for coastal security under Operation Stonegarden for the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and an additional $2 million in NIFA (National Institute of Food and Agriculture) Grants for training, development and education in food and agricultural sciences in the territories, with a focus on distance education.[15] ”

March 13, 2017: Fiscal roadmap approved

On March 13, 2017, an oversight board approved Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rosselló's fiscal plan to address the island’s $70 billion of defaulted debt. After the board rejected Rosselló's initial plan the previous week, he added "higher traffic fines, an increase in an excise tax on tobacco products, a tax on insurance, and the extension of an existing tax break for manufacturers on the island," according to The New York Times. The board voted unanimously to enforce austerity measures if Puerto Rico failed to meet certain conditions by April 30, including decreasing the public pension system by 10 percent, furloughing workers, and eliminating holiday bonuses.[27][28]

Background: Puerto Rico’s defaulted debt

On July 1, 2016, Puerto Rico defaulted on $779 million in general obligation bonds on, in order to continue providing essential services to its residents. The default triggered concerns about austerity measures and damaged relations between the government and investors, including citizens who relied on the bonds for retirement. Alejandro García Padilla, the former governor of Puerto Rico, defended the move, saying that the island had become “a colony of Wall Street." He continued, “We are starting the process of putting it back in the hands of Puerto Ricans.”[29][30][31]

In the months preceding the default, there was discussion in Washington, D.C., regarding what mechanisms Puerto Rico should be allowed to use, if any, to restructure its debt, and whether the territory should become a state. The contested passage of S 2328—the Puerto Rico Oversight, Management, and Economic Stability Act or PROMESA—highlighted some of these policy differences. S 2328, a bipartisan bill, proposed providing a stay on creditor litigation and establishing an independent oversight committee tasked with addressing the debt crisis. As a presidential candidate, President Donald Trump opposed bailing out Puerto Rico and argued that the island would benefit from reducing its bonds.

See also

External links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 The Hill, "Trump approves disaster declarations for Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands," September 21, 2017
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 The Wall Street Journal, "Trump Rates Administration Response in Puerto Rico a '10,'" October 19, 2017
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Vox, “WE WILL DIE”: San Juan mayor sends extraordinary plea to President Trump, October 12, 2017
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Congress.gov, "H.Res.569 - Providing for the concurrence by the House in the Senate amendment to H.R. 2266, with an amendment," accessed October 12, 2017
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Senate.gov, "On the Motion (Motion to Concur in the House Amendment to the Senate Amendment to H.R. 2266)," October 24, 2017
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Chicago Tribune, "Trump signs $36.5 billion emergency aid bill for Puerto Rico, other flooding disasters," October 26, 2017
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 The Hill, "Puerto Rico announces shadow congressional delegation," January 10, 2017
  8. ↑ NPR, "Puerto Rico Energy Infrastructure Is 'Completely Down,' Governor Says," September 20, 2017
  9. ↑ The Wall Street Journal, "Hurricane Maria Caused as Much as $85 Billion in Insured Losses, AIR Worldwide Says," September 25, 2017
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 NBC News, "What Is the Jones Act? Opponents to 1920 Law Argue It’s Worsening Puerto Rico’s Crisis," September 28, 2017
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 The Hill, "Trump: Puerto Rico has 'thrown our budget a little out of whack,'" October 3, 2017
  12. ↑ Twitter, "Donald J. Trump," October 12, 2017
  13. ↑ Twitter, "Donald J. Trump," October 12, 2017
  14. ↑ Twitter, "Donald J. Trump," October 12, 2017
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
  16. ↑ Reuters, "Puerto Rico votes in favor of U.S. statehood amid low turnout," June 12, 2017
  17. ↑ The Hill, "Puerto Rico statehood push faces long odds," June 17, 2017
  18. ↑ Office of Rep. Luis V. Gutierrez, "Rep. Gutierrez on one-sided June 11 'plebiscite' in Puerto Rico," June 9, 2017
  19. ↑ Oficina de Servicios Legislativos, "Medida P. S0051," accessed February 5, 2017
  20. ↑ El Nuevo Dia, "Justicia federal revisará enmiendas al plebiscito," April 14, 2017
  21. ↑ United States Government Publishing Office, "Public Law 113–76," January 17, 2014
  22. ↑ U.S. Department of Justice, "Department of Justice Letter to Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rosselló," April 13, 2017
  23. ↑ El Nuevo Dia, "Ricardo Rosselló firma las enmiendas al plebiscito," April 19, 2017
  24. ↑ El Nuevo Dia, "Gobernador presenta a Justicia federal las enmiendas al plebiscito," April 25, 2017
  25. ↑ Politico, "Puerto Rico governor pushes statehood as vote looms despite no U.S. support," May 26, 2017
  26. ↑ Facebook, Rep. Jenniffer González-Colón post," May 4, 2017
  27. ↑ The New York Times, "Puerto Rico, Mired in Debt, Has a New Rescue Plan," March 13, 2017
  28. ↑ ABC News, "Board to Puerto Rico: Cut pension system, impose furloughs," March 13, 2017
  29. ↑ CNBC, "There’s no choice: Puerto Rico will default on more than $1 billion in debt on Friday," June 29, 2016
  30. ↑ Reuters, "Puerto Rico says will default on $779 million of senior debt," July 1, 2016
  31. ↑ The Wall Street Journal, "Puerto Rico Defaults on Constitutionally Guaranteed Debt," July 1, 2016
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