In 2017, less than a month after Hurricane Harvey hammered Houston, President Donald Trump and Congress agreed on a $15.3 billion disaster relief measure. Now, however, more than five months after the vastly destructive Camp Fire in Northern California and other huge blazes in the Golden State, Trump is objecting to a $17.2 billion disaster relief measure that would help California and other states because it also includes $600 million in additional relief for Puerto Rico, which was ravaged by Hurricane Maria in 2017. The U.S. territory has already received about $13 billion of $41 billion in approved federal aid, but its leaders make a credible case that they still haven't received as much help as U.S. states in comparable straits.
Trump says if Puerto Rico is struggling to recover, that's because its leaders are klutzes. But he hasn't made the case for this claim. Instead, it appears he's steamed that Puerto Rican officials say his administration treated Houston better.
This is no way to run a country. Disaster relief shouldn't hinge on a president's ego.
