Biden Administration Moves to Release Billions in Maria Relief for Puerto Rico

By Alex Roarty and Syra Ortiz-Blanes, McClatchy DC

02 February 21

he Biden administration approved releasing $1.3 billion in funding for Puerto Rico Monday as part of a Hurricane Maria disaster relief package, a federal official confirmed to El Nuevo Herald and the Miami Herald, the first such distribution from a new president who has promised to speed delivery of the long-delayed funds.

Department of Housing and Urban Development spokesman Michael Burns also said the department took a step Monday toward loosening restrictions on $4.9 billion in relief funds previously approved by the former President Donald Trump’s administration in the hours before he left office.

According to January 2020 data, HUD has only disbursed around $138.5 million, less than 1% of the roughly $20 billion Congress allocated for Hurricane María relief through its programs, according to figures from the Central Office of Recovery, Reconstruction and Resiliency (COR3,) which oversees federally funded reconstruction projects in Puerto Rico.

The Trump administration delayed and placed restrictions on funds allocated for the American territory to help the island recover from the devastation of Hurricane Maria, partly citing concerns of government mishandling of funds and corruption. The hurricane killed thousands and devastated critical infrastructure, causing as much as $90 billion in damages.

As the island struggles to bounce back from the aftermath of María, it has also dealt with thousands of earthquakes and the coronavirus pandemic.

Earlier Monday, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said it was a “priority” of the president to release the outstanding relief funds for Puerto Rico.

“We are working to do so,” she told reporters during a press briefing.

Of the roughly $66 billion in total aid Congress approved for Puerto Rico after the 2017 storm, only about $17.3 billion — less than a third of the total amount — has been distributed to the American territory. Federal agencies have promised to distribute around $41.7 billion, per COR3 data.