Why Puerto Rico is starving

Thanks to poor policy design, congressional dithering, and a hostile White House, hundreds of thousands of the most vulnerable Puerto Ricans are about to go hungry

A man with food.

Puerto Rico has weathered two hurricanes, tens of billions in damage, thousands of deaths, and a decade-long economic recession. Now, thanks to poor policy design, congressional dithering, and a hostile White House, critical aid for hundreds of thousands of the most vulnerable Puerto Ricans is vanishing as well.

Puerto Ricans are American citizens, but the island itself is a territory of the United States rather than a state. That comes with lots of differences and limitations in how federal tax law and aid programs are administered on the island. One of the biggest differences has to to do with the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which most people know as food stamps.

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Jeff Spross

Jeff Spross was the economics and business correspondent at TheWeek.com. He was previously a reporter at ThinkProgress.