Crisis In Puerto Rico Due To Cuts In Food Assistance

2024 Author: Steven Freeman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 08:15

43 percent of residents in Puerto Rico are facing sudden cuts in aid that the federal government provides them through food stamps after Congress failed to approve a new budget for such aid. The crisis affects more than 1.3 million people on the island, which is still recovering from the ravages of Hurricane Maria that hit in September 2017.

Congress approved a special budget for Puerto Rico after the storm passed, but in March it went into recess without any more money being approved for said aid. The work of the congressmen has also been hampered by the administration of President Donald Trump, who has privately protested the aid, calling it "unnecessary", according to the newspaper The Washington Post.

The last time the program, known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), was fully covered was in January 2019. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) It has a contingency fund for this type of emergency, but according to calculations it will not fully cover the benefits.

Hurricane Maria as it passed through Puerto Rico in September 2017:

According to said publication during a meeting of the Department of Housing and Urban Development held on February 22 at the White House, Trump asked how much money has been sent so far to Puerto Rico, insisting that it was deviating from other support issues in the United States. United. According to an official who spoke on condition of anonymity, said meeting abruptly ended with Trump saying that only money will be sent to strengthen the island's electrical infrastructure. Privately, the president has said he will not approve any additional aid for Puerto Rico beyond food stamps, it was claimed.

The cuts began gradually when the Puerto Rico government cut aid by 25 percent during the first week of the month. By March 12, 670,000 people had been subject to these reductions. The coupons are used for both food and other necessities like baby diapers.

Congress will discuss the matter shortly, but in the meantime the lack of coupons affects those seeking food and other necessities. The population's deficiencies reveal the precarious situation in which the thousands who still depend on such federal aid live almost two years after the hurricane hit.