Senators back Puerto Rico hurricane commission

Spectator, The (Hornell, Wellsville, NY)

Jan. 08--WASHINGTON -- U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand announced Monday that she has reintroduced legislation to establish a "9/11-style" independent commission to investigate the federal response to Hurricanes Irma and Maria in Puerto Rico.

The National Commission of the Federal Response to Natural Disasters in Puerto Rico Act would analyze several factors that impact the disaster response.

"After Hurricanes Irma and Maria devastated Puerto Rico, we had an extraordinary opportunity to help our fellow Americans rebuild and become far more resilient than ever before. Now, almost 15 months later, it's clear that Congress and the President have failed to do their job to protect this part of our country and the millions of Americans who live there," said Senator Gillibrand. "The storms were bad enough, but the government's response to them was truly horrific, and we need to get to the bottom of exactly what went so terribly wrong. That's why I'm introducing legislation to create a new, 9/11-style Congressional commission to investigate exactly how and why the federal government abandoned its responsibilities and turned its back on Puerto Rico. I am proud to fight for Puerto Rico in the Senate, and I urge my colleagues to support this legislation just as they would if a natural disaster hit their own states."

"As we move into the 116th Congress, I will continue calling for accountability for how Donald Trump and his Administration failed 3.4 million American citizens after Maria struck," said Congresswoman Velázquez. "It is clear now, from multiple analyses, that thousands lost needlessly lost their lives because of the federal government's feeble response to these hurricanes and their aftermath. Certainly, there will be hearings looking into many facets of what went wrong, but I also believe that the magnitude of this catastrophe warrants the creation of a nonpartisan panel to fully bring to light not only the errors that were made, but also how we can be certain this never happens again."

"Our fellow Americans in Puerto Rico, New York, and across the nation deserve to know the truth about the Trump administration's tragically deficient response to one of the deadliest natural disasters in U.S. history," said Senate Minority Leader Schumer. "This legislation would compel an independent investigation of the clearly inadequate preparedness, response, and recovery efforts to Hurricanes Irma and Maria to uncover what went wrong in Puerto Rico so we can ensure it does not happen again. We must honor the lives of our fellow Americans in Puerto Rico who perished in these disasters, as well as those who suffered needlessly, by passing this important legislation into law."

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