Puerto Rico governor: 'Every penny' of long-awaited Hurricane Maria relief funds will be used
Puerto Rico Gov. Pedro Pierluisi said Tuesday that his government will “use every penny” of billions in federal hurricane relief funds after their release was approved, pushing back against corruption concerns that led the Trump administration to hold onto the emergency aid for years.
The Biden administration announced Monday it was moving forward with plans to disburse $1.3 billion in disaster relief from the Department of Housing and Urban Development for the U.S. territory. The federal agency also began to loosen restrictions on an additional $4.9 billion approved right before former President Donald Trump left office.
It’s the first such announcement from Biden, who promised in his campaign to deliver the long-awaited recovery funds for Puerto Rico, which is still recovering from Hurricane Maria, which killed thousands and demolished critical infrastructure in 2017.
“We will use every penny correctly and adequately to improve our infrastructure and make it more resilient,” Pierluisi said in remarks provided to the Miami Herald and el Nuevo Herald.
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