Federal union leaders to President Trump, Congress: American citizens in Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands need our help

PR Newswire

WASHINGTON, Oct. 3, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Leaders with the American Federation of Government Employees, the largest federal employee union, are calling on President Trump and Congress to expedite the pace of recovery efforts to the 3.5 million American citizens in hurricane-battered Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

In an open letter to President Trump and members of Congress, AFGE National President J. David Cox Sr. and Fifth District National Vice President Everett Kelley said residents on the islands "desperately need our help."

"Failing to treat this disaster with the same sense of urgency you displayed when Hurricanes Harvey and Irma battered the mainland just weeks earlier is indefensible," the letter states. Nearly two weeks after Hurricane Maria made landfall, most residents still lack essentials like running water, food, and electricity.

"Our fellow Americans in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands are being treated like second-class citizens," President Cox said. "There's no excuse for it taking this long to get aid and relief to people who desperately need our help. While President Trump's visit to Puerto Rico is a welcome show of support, residents need immediate action, not just rhetoric. Congress and the White House need to step up the recovery efforts at once."

AFGE represents more than 5,000 federal employees who work in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. They have been working around the clock to continue serving the public, even as they face their own personal tragedies and losses.

"Thousands of federal workers who call these islands home are looking to their government for help, and the silence is deafening," said NVP Kelley, whose district includes both islands. "They're working under extraordinarily difficult circumstances to deliver care and assistance to our citizens in need. Help cannot come fast enough."

The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) is the largest federal employee union, representing 700,000 workers in the federal government and the government of the District of Columbia.

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