Sanders writes: "The people of Puerto Rico have been experiencing a humanitarian crisis for over a year and a half since Hurricane Maria."
Senator Bernie Sanders. (photo: Getty)
18 April 19
he people of Puerto Rico have been experiencing a humanitarian crisis for over a year and a half since Hurricane Maria. The people of Puerto Rico are American citizens, and the full resources of the United States must be brought to bear for as long as necessary to ensure that every community gets the resources they desperately need. The economic situation in Puerto Rico will not improve by leaning in to disaster capitalism by eliminating more public schools, slashing pensions, laying off workers and allowing corporations to pay workers starvation wages by suspending the minimum wage and relaxing labor laws. We need austerity for billionaire Wall Street hedge fund managers who have exacerbated the financial crisis in Puerto Rico. We don’t need more austerity for children in Puerto Rico who are going hungry.
For far too long, the U.S. government has failed the people of Puerto Rico. That must end today. President Trump must act now to ensure that the federal government is doing everything in its power to fully rebuild Puerto Rico.