03.01.22

Chair Grijalva Applauds White House Decision to Increase Federal Disaster Funding for Puerto Rico

Washington, D.C. – Natural Resources Committee Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today issued the following statement on President Biden’s decision to authorize additional federal funding for disaster recovery in Puerto Rico.

“The nearly 3.2 million U.S. citizens living in Puerto Rico have been dealt blow after blow by hurricanes, earthquakes, financial hardship, and a former president that tried to ignore all of the above,” Grijalva said. “I am pleased to be working with an administration that understands that the residents of Puerto Rico are long overdue for the federal support they both need and deserve.”

The newly authorized funds will support ongoing recovery projects that were initiated after a series of powerful earthquakes hit Puerto Rico more than two years ago. Projects include major debris removal and infrastructure repair, among other activities. Following the Biden administration’s announcement, the federal share of funding for these projects will increase from 75 percent to 90 percent.

Beginning in December 2019, at least a dozen earthquakes and aftershocks of greater than 5.0 magnitude struck Puerto Rico over a less than two-month period. The quakes devastated the island, causing multiple fatalities, injuries, and significant damage to infrastructure, property, and treasured landmarks. Natural Resources Committee staff visited Puerto Rico in February 2020 and released a report detailing the extensive damage. The report outlined several recommendations to facilitate recovery, including an increase in federal aid and resources. President Trump withheld billions in emergency funds for Puerto Rico until shortly before the 2020 election. 

Chair Grijalva and other Natural Resources Committee members have championed federal support for Puerto Rico and other U.S. insular areas in response to natural disasters, including Hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017 and Typhoon Yutu, which struck the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands and Guam in 2018. On April 22, 2021, Chair Grijalva introduced the Insular Area Climate Change Act, which would provide broad financial and technical support to help the U.S. insular areas better prepare for climate change and related severe weather events. Read more about the bill here.

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