White House seeks up to $29 billion in Irma/María/Harvey aid

On October 5, 2017, El Vocero reported that the White House presented Congress a legislative package to provide up to $29 billion in recovery assistance to Puerto Rico and other jurisdictions hit by María, Irma and Harvey — the sum of $13 billion for disaster victims and $16 billion to strengthen the federal flood insurance program.

EL VOCERO obtained the letter from OMB Director Mick Mulvaney to Vice President Mike Pence: “We need Congress’s help to stabilize affected communities and replenish dwindling and exhausted funds.” The White House underscored ~20,000 federal employees deployed and ~$200 million daily via FEMA’s disaster-relief fund.

Resident Commissioner Jenniffer González expects a large share would go to Puerto Rico given a Moody’s Analytics impact of $95 billion (the figure Rosselló used with Trump): ~$40 billion in lost output and ~$55 billion in property damage. González spoke about liquidity with Paul Ryan and the White House (debt and energy); she celebrated $40 million for highways and DOT efforts for $600 million more.

Trump said on Fox News that Wall Street debt should be “wiped out”; Rosselló treated it as “the president’s opinion” under PROMESA Title III. In 13 U.S. cities — including NYC — protesters demanded debt cancellation. Rosselló admitted fiscal-plan goals may change; the Board wrote Congress: “Hurricanes María and Irma have fundamentally changed Puerto Rico’s reality.”

A legislative request and FEMA’s daily spend are not, by themselves, funds disbursed to the Island or an adjudicated debt cancellation.