Trump finally signs $19.1 billion disaster aid bill, claims credit for Puerto Rico funds that he opposed

New York Daily News, The (NY)

June 06-- Jun. 6--President Trump finally signed off on a long-delayed disaster aid package Thursday and claimed credit for including funds for Puerto Rico -- even though he spent months arguing against giving more federal cash to the hurricane-ravaged island.

Trump, who's in Europe commemorating the 75th anniversary of D-Day, posted a photo to Twitter of himself from his Air Force One office holding up the signed $19.1 billion bill.

"Just signed Disaster Aid Bill to help Americans who have been hit by recent catastrophic storms," Trump tweeted, adding the bill provides federal help for "our GREAT American farmers and ranchers" rocked by disasters in Georgia, Florida, Iowa, Nebraska, North Carolina and California.

Trump added Puerto Rico "should love" him for also including $1.4 billion for post-hurricane restoration efforts on the island -- even though the bill stalled in Congress for months in large part because of the president's opposition to those funds.

"Without me, they would have been shut out!" Trump posted about island residents.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) called bull.

"This is a lie," Schumer tweeted in response to Trump's post. "Without your interference, Puerto Rico and these other disaster-impacted areas would have received disaster relief aid months ago. Fortunately, Democrats remained resolute and got this done."

The president wrestled with Democrats over the bill for months because he wanted it to include money for the "crisis" he says is unfolding on the U.S. southern border amid an unprecedented influx of asylum seekers.

Democrats refused and said they wanted to deal with border cash in separate legislation.

Trump finally agreed to drop his border demand last month, paving way for the aid to finally be approved after nearly six months of back-and-forth discussions.

However, after the Senate passed the measure last month, three Republican congressmen -- Texas Rep. Chip Roy, Kentucky Rep. Tom Massie and Tennessee Rep. John Rose -- stepped in on three individual occasions to block fast-track approval of the bill in the House during Memorial Day recess, once again delaying the matter.

Back from recess, the full House was finally able to pass the bill Monday.

Trump's resistance to giving Puerto Rico more government aid further pushed back the process.

The president has kept arguing the island already received enough federal cash and that local leaders are wasting what they've been given.

Critics have accused Trump of bringing a partisan component into the disaster aid debate, considering many of the farmer states he has willingly forked over cash to voted for him in 2016. As a U.S. territory, Puerto Rico by contrast can't vote.

At long last, Trump agreed to give $1.4 billion in aid to Puerto Rico, marking a major win for Democrats.

San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz, who's been vocally outspoken against Trump, blasted the president's Thursday bill signing as "too little too late."

"Trump's ridiculous statement is equal to someone beating you to the point of death, being shamed into taking you to the hospital, and then saying you should 'love him,'" Yulin Cruz tweeted.

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