Disaster Relief
Floor Speech
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Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, on disaster, last week, the city of Davenport in Iowa became the site of the latest national disaster to wreak havoc on our homeland. It has been 8 weeks since the Midwest began battling major flooding, 6 months since the last major wildfire in California, 12 months since a volcano erupted in Hawaii, and over a year and a half since Hurricanes Irma and Maria devastated the island of Puerto Rico. But because the President has stubbornly and inexplicably opposed aid to Puerto Rico, a comprehensive disaster package has failed to get the necessary support of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle, of a majority in the House, and has languished in the Congress.
Unfortunately, the President continues to belittle Puerto Rico and tell flat-out mistruths about the level of support they are receiving. Just yesterday, the President said the people of Puerto Rico ``should be very happy'' with what he has done for them so far. Well, don't ask me. Ask the Governor of Puerto Rico--hardly a left-wing, partisan Democrat; ask the mayor of San Juan; ask the people of Puerto Rico if they are happy. Don't put words in their mouths. Ask them if they are happy with the support they have received from this administration. Ask them if they are happy with HUD's missing its own deadline to advance the release of $8 billion in disaster mitigation funding last week. Ask them, and you will get a much different answer. No one in the Puerto Rican community is happy with the way this President has treated the island and its 3 million American citizens. He has treated them with contempt. It needs to stop.
So, President Trump, if you want to help the farmers in the Midwest, be fair to everyone. You can't pick and choose.
Some of them say: Oh, but Puerto Rico isn't spending its aid well. I heard that when we wanted Sandy money for New York. You can say that about any region. In an emergency, no government program will be perfect, but that is not a reason to hold back the money. Instead, send the money and have some oversight, but help the people. They need it. You can't pick and choose which Americans to help.
I would say this to President Trump: As our President, you must represent all Americans, not just the ones who voted for you.
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