Rick Scott asks for $600 million in additional disaster funding for Puerto Rico

Jan. 24--U.S. Sen. Rick Scott wants an additional $600 million in disaster recovery funding for Puerto Rico.

Scott filed an amendment Thursday to the Republican bill to fund the government that would provide the extra aid to the island, still devastated from Hurricane Maria in 2017.

The additional funding was already included in a House of Representatives version of the funding bill, but not in the Senate version.

According to Roll Call, Puerto Rico officials estimated the island needs exactly that amount of money to prevent a reduction in nutrition benefits for 1.4 million residents by March, when the current funding runs out.

"The most important thing to every American is action over words," Scott said in a statement.

"In Florida, we took aggressive action to support Puerto Rico and the Puerto Rican community since before Hurricane Maria even made landfall, but our work isn't done," Scott said. "Puerto Rico does not have a voice in the United States Senate. I intend to be that voice."

Jenniffer González Colón, a fellow Republican and the island's non-voting delegate to Congress, said the additional funding "is so important to help Puerto Rico continue to recover after Hurricane Maria, and I thank Sen. Scott for taking quick action to make this happen."

Any government funding remains held up as the Democratic-led House and Republican-led Senate are at odds over President Trump's demands for $5.7 billion to pay for a border wall.

The government shutdown was in its 35th day on Thursday.

slemongello@orlandosentinel.com, 407-418-5920, @stevelemongello, facebook/stevelemongello

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