‘He’s playing politics’: Velazquez says Trump’s Puerto Rico aid announcement reeks of election worries

The Trump administration announced nearly $12 billion in aid for Puerto Rico on Friday to help the island rebuild its hurricane-ravaged electrical grid and school system -- but Rep. Nydia Velazquez (D-N.Y.) shredded the federal cash infusion as political theater.

The New York City congresswoman, who’s originally from Puerto Rico, told the Daily News that she and other Democrats asked President Trump for years to release the aid, but their pleas fell on deaf ears, even though Congress allocated the cash shortly after Hurricanes Maria and Irma in the fall of 2017.

“It’s obvious why this is happening now,” Velazquez said in a phone interview. “Forty-six days before Election Day -- he’s playing politics with this assistance.”

While Puerto Ricans can’t vote in presidential elections, millions of people originally from the island are registered in Florida, Pennsylvania, Ohio and other battleground states crucial to Trump’s reelection prospects.

“He’s concerned, and it doesn’t escape him that he’s in a tie in Florida, which he needs to win,” Velazquez said. “Florida has 1.3 million Puerto Ricans, so he’s putting aside his disdain for the people of Puerto Rico and releases this money.”

Ultimately, though, Velazquez said she doesn’t believe Puerto Ricans will let Trump buy their votes.

“They have seared into their memories images of him throwing paper towels while their friends and family members were dying," Velazquez said, referring to Trump’s peculiar stunt during an October 2017 trip to Puerto Rico. “On Election Day, they will know what to do.”

Nearly 3,000 Puerto Ricans died in the 2017 hurricanes, and Trump’s handling of the aftermath has been widely criticized.

The president openly expressed reluctance to send aid to the island and suggested several times that he didn’t truly consider Puerto Rico part of the U.S., prompting accusations of racism.

In a Friday afternoon statement detailing the aid, White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said roughly $9.6 billion will be used to prop up Puerto Rico’s long-hampered electrical grid and about $2 more billion will focus on restoring school buildings and educational facilities across the island.

“Today’s grant announcements represent some of the largest awards in FEMA’s history,” McEnany said, using an acronym for the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Echoing Velazquez, House Natural Resources Chairman Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.) said the announcement was too little, too late.

“It will take years for Puerto Rico to repair the unnecessary harm this president and his incompetent assistants have caused the Puerto Rican people," Grijalva said in a statement, "and they won’t forget it.”

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