Puerto Rico and the Apathy of the Federal Government

Six months after Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico, authors Rafael Medina and Enrique Fernández-Toledo discuss the inexcusable failures of the federal government's relief efforts.

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Six months after Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico, the federal government’s response has been inexcusably slow, its spending wasteful, and its aid inadequate.

On January 31 of this year, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced that it would stop distributing essential food and water aid in Puerto Rico, reversing its decision only after widespread backlash. Only six days later, FEMA was awarded a $156 million contract that called for the distribution of 30 million meals to Puerto Rico, but delivered just 50,000.

The above excerpt was originally published in Medium. Click here to view the full article.

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