Lawmakers mull expensive relief for hurricane-damaged Puerto Rico

A flooded neighborhood in Puerto Rico.
(Image credit: HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP/Getty Images)

President Trump tweeted Monday night that Puerto Rico is "in deep trouble" while resident commissioner Jenniffer Gonzalez-Colon (R) estimated that the cost of damage from Hurricane Maria could be as much as $20 billion, far exceeding Hurricane Irma's estimated $1 billion recovery costs. "U.S. officials say that Puerto Rico faces a longer road to recovery than any other part of the U.S. hit by a hurricane, partly because the island nation needs to ship and fly in equipment and personnel that can simply be trucked in to states like Florida and Texas," The Wall Street Journal reports.

Of primary concern is Puerto Rico's power grid, which requires an expensive overhaul. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), who visited the territory, has thrown his support behind recovery efforts and called for Puerto Rico not to "be punished" for the hurricane damage.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
Explore More
Jeva Lange

Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.