Free Republic

Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rossello Nevares last month asked federal taxpayers to shell out $94 billion to pay for the territory’s recovery from Hurricane Maria — then turned around and paid out about $100 million in Christmas bonuses to island government employees. The governor’s aides say the bonuses are a longstanding tradition and part of the law, and were planned for in the budget approved last summer. But that budget came well before Hurricanes Irma and Maria slammed into Puerto Rico, leaving much of the territory in ruin and leaving the government begging for federal assistance. The island’s financial oversight...

Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rossello last month asked federal taxpayers to shell out $94 billion to pay for the territory’s recovery from Hurricane Maria — then turned around and paid out about $100 million in Christmas bonuses to government employees on the island. The governor’s aides say the bonuses were part of a long-standing tradition and were included in the budget approved over the summer. But that budget came well before Hurricanes Irma and Maria slammed into Puerto Rico, leaving much of the territory in ruin and the government begging for federal assistance. The island’s financial oversight board, created by...

Gov. Cuomo urged the feds to approve a new $94.4 billion aid package for Puerto Rico as he headed to the storm-ravaged island Saturday to survey the damage from the September hurricane and assess recovery efforts. “The federal government should not only be ashamed of itself for the way it has handled this crisis, but for treating Puerto Ricans as second-class citizens,” Cuomo said from a press conference at JFK Airport before boarding a plane to the island.

“This is a conservative estimate based on similar efforts that have been done in New York, New Jersey and of course in Texas most recently,” Rossello said at a press conference streamed online from the National Governors Association in Washington. “Now, I am however confident that we have turned a corner. That we are now flowing out of the life sustainment phase and we are starting the recovery phase, and the rebuilding phase,” Rossello said.