Government grinds to a halt

last updated 8 January 2015

San Juan, Puerto Rico

The government of Puerto Rico ran out of money this week, forcing schools to shut down and idling most government offices. The commonwealth’s budget is $740 million in the red, and leaders have agreed to institute a sales tax to make up the shortfall. But the legislature and governor are at odds over the amount of the tax, and as a deadline passed, 100,000 public employees were ordered to stay home and more than 500,000 schoolchildren got an unscheduled holiday. “It’s sad that it came to this,” said 24-year-old Hector Aguilo, who attended a rally protesting the shutdown. “I think they’ll come to their senses after a few days of playing this game.”