A watchdog report uncovers bureaucratic hurdles the Trump administration erected for the struggling island to receive aid after Hurricanes Irma and Maria.
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April 22, 2021 9:38 a.m.
The Trump administration lined up unprecedented bureaucratic obstacles that delayed approximately $20 billion in hurricane relief for Puerto Rico, according to an inspector general report that could be released publicly as soon as Thursday.
In a 46-page document first reported by the Washington Post early Thursday, the inspector general said it found procedural hurdles created by the White House budget office that stalled recovery aid even as watchdogs were met with efforts by Trump administration officials to obstruct their investigation into the delay by the request of Congress in 2019.
Hurricanes Irma and Maria had left Puerto Rico residents without power and clean water for months after ravaging the U.S. territory in 2017.
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Trump administration obstructed investigation revealing it stalled $20 billion in Puerto Rico hurricane aid
The report said former HoUD secretary Ben Carson and another former HUD official declined to be interviewed by investigators during the course of the 2019 examination.
By Tracy Jan and Lisa ReinWashington Post
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People walk next to a gas station flooded and damaged by the impact of Hurricane Maria, which hit the eastern region of the island, in Humacao, Puerto Rico, Wednesday, September 20, 2017. The strongest hurricane to hit Puerto Rico in more than 80 years destroyed hundreds of homes, knocked out power across the entire island and turned some streets into raging rivers. Associated Press/Carlos Giusti