Head of FEMA sides with Republicans on Puerto Rico aid
WASHINGTON _ The head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency sided with Republicans in a bitter congressional dispute over the right amount of government assistance for rebuilding Puerto Rico, saying it wouldn't be good for the island if Washington paid the full cost for recovery efforts after Hurricane Maria.
Pete Gaynor, FEMA's acting administrator, said Friday that repairing the damage from Hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017 will be faster and more efficient if Puerto Rico continues to shoulder some of the cost. That gives the island an incentive to ensure the work is done properly, he said.
"If you don't have skin in the game, then it's not in anyone's best interest," Gaynor said in an interview. As long as the island maintains responsibility for part of the price, he said, "then everyone's a winner. And it's in their interest to do it as quickly as possible."
Congress has been at odds over a major disaster relief supplemental spending bill _ to fund a wide range of flooding, wildfire and hurricane recovery _ because of differences over how aid to Puerto Rico should be handled. President Donald Trump has accused Puerto Rico of squandering past aid, and he told Republicans he opposes more money for the island.
The House in January passed a bill that would increase the federal government's share of Puerto Rico's disaster funding to 100 percent from 90 percent for most types of projects, while also providing a $600 million funding boost to its nutrition assistance program. That bill stalled in the Senate.
_Bloomberg News
