President Trump’s Secretary of Housing and Urban Development recently clashed with a Democrat representative about withheld aid to Puerto Rico.
According to Fox News:
Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson clashed Tuesday with Rep. Nydia Velazquez, D-N.Y., as a hearing on the Trump administration’s housing plans turned to the subject of disaster relief funds for Puerto Rico.
The dispute centered on HUD missing a deadline to give Puerto Rico instructions on how to apply for $8.3 billion in aid to prevent damage from future natural disasters. A bill signed by President Trump in June gave HUD a 90-day deadline to provide those rules, Newsweek reported. Ten jurisdictions included in the bill got the directions they needed, with Puerto Rico being the only one left out.
…
“Congress has specifically mandated that the Secretary of HUD make sure that funds that are allocated or provided for certain jurisdictions have the resources and the capacity to manage them,” Carson responded.
After the Rep chided Carson for not providing an answer he responded:
“Seemed like an answer to me,” Carson shot back. “Are you looking for an answer or a soundbite?”
Mick Mulvaney’s comments comparing Puerto Rico, part of the United States, to Ukraine, only reinforces what we have known to be true:
1. This Administration views Puerto Rico as a foreign country.
2. The President intervened to slow or interrupt relief funds for PR. pic.twitter.com/ULBx8m4VWK— Rep. Nydia Velazquez (@NydiaVelazquez) October 17, 2019
Not surprisingly this committee hearing was chaired by Maxine Waters. What was surprising is that Waters used her power and her gavel to keep order and allow the hearing to continue.
