Trump administration hampered investigation into delayed Puerto Rico hurricane relief, government watchdog finds
An investigation into the Trump administration’s delayed hurricane relief aid for Puerto Rico was stymied by a series of roadblocks in obtaining information and testimony, according to findings by a federal watchdog released Thursday.
In a new report, the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Office of Inspector General explained that its review into the timing of the release of $20 billion in disaster recovery funds in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria in 2017 was “hampered” by officials’ refusal to answer questions, as well as delays in conducting interviews and accessing electronic communications.
Washington Post: Trump administration blocked investigation into delayed relief to Puerto Rico for 2017 hurricane kyma.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from kyma.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Thursday, April 22, 2021
The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has set aside $8.2 billion in Community Development Block Grant Mitigation (CDBG-MIT) funds for Puerto Rico.
HUD also announced it will remove the “onerous restrictions unique to Puerto Rico” that limited the island’s access to CDBG-Disaster Recovery (DR) funds that were allocated following Hurricane Maria in September 2017.
“Since its first days, the Biden-Harris administration has prioritized action to enable stronger recovery for Puerto Rico,” HUD Secretary Marcia Fudge said in a release.
“The actions taken by HUD today will unlock access to funds Puerto Rico needs to recover from past disasters and build resilience to future storms, while ensuring transparency and accountability. We are committed to an ongoing partnership with Puerto Rico to empower the island’s communities and help them build back better.”
Funding was ‘unnecessarily delayed’ by bureaucratic obstacles, after hurricane killed thousands of people in 2017
Buildings damaged by Hurricane Maria in Lares, Puerto Rico, in 2017. The hurricane killed thousands of people. Photograph: Lucas Jackson/Reuters
Buildings damaged by Hurricane Maria in Lares, Puerto Rico, in 2017. The hurricane killed thousands of people. Photograph: Lucas Jackson/Reuters
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Thu 22 Apr 2021 12.03 EDT
Last modified on Thu 22 Apr 2021 12.17 EDT
The efforts to deliver recovery funding to the island were “unnecessarily delayed by bureaucratic obstacles”, according to the 46-page report. The hurricane, which hit the island in 2017, killed thousands of people and left thousands more without electricity or water for months.
Apr 22, 2021 / 10:36 AM EST
(CNN) The Trump administration put up barriers that delayed $20 billion in hurricane relief aid to Puerto Rico and blocked an investigation into the delayed funds, The Washington Post reported Thursday, citing a 46-page inspector general report.
Access to Housing and Urban Development information was delayed or denied during an investigation into the delayed relief to the US territory for the devastation left by 2017 Hurricane Maria the report found, according to the Post.
Former HUD Secretary Ben Carson and another former department officials declined to be interviewed by investigators during the investigation and former senior Office of Management and Budget officials also declined to give information about decisions related to Puerto Rico’s aid, the newspaper also reported.