Rep. Rob Bishop (R-Utah), chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee, announced a member forum for Wednesday, Oct. 4, at 3 p.m. to discuss potential legislative actions within the committee’s purview to reinforce ongoing rescue and recovery efforts in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, Caribbean Business reported on Friday. “Millions of American citizens on the mainland and our U.S. territories continue to face extreme hardship due to the devastation of recent hurricanes. In Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, the situation remains particularly dire as flooding, downed infrastructure and power outages impede food and water from reaching large populations. In many areas, the magnitude of the destruction is unprecedented. This forum is a starting point as we evaluate policies and programs within our jurisdiction to support emergency response, help mitigate the loss of human life and hasten the path to recovery,” Bishop said. Read more.
In related news, the oversight board in charge of resolving Puerto Rico’s debt crisis said on Saturday that its members met with Trump administration officials and members of the U.S. Congress this week to ask for increased financial assistance for the hurricane-struck island, Reuters reported. Puerto Rico, a U.S. territory, filed for the biggest-ever U.S. local government bankruptcy in May.
Additionally, Puerto Rico needs to work with the U.S. government to determine how to fund rebuilding after Hurricane Maria and what to do about the territory’s heavy debt load, President Donald Trump said on Friday. “Ultimately, the government of Puerto Rico will have to work with us to determine how this massive rebuilding effort, which will end up being one of the biggest ever, will be funded and organised and what we will do with the tremendous amount of existing debt already on the island,” Trump said. Read more.
