Cuomo’s P.R. rant In visit, he rips Congress for lack of aid
in San Juan, Puerto Rico, GOV. CUOMO, in a visit Saturday to Puerto Rico, praised the hundreds of New Yorkers rebuilding the island, while ripping Congress for its failure to fund hurricane recovery.
The New York Democrat unloaded on federal officials for treating Puerto Ricans like “second-class citizens” since Hurricane Maria first pounded the island on Sept. 20.
“I don’t believe our federal government did what they needed to do,” Cuomo declared after arriving in San Juan. “Puerto Rico is not a foreign country. These are American citizens. These are our brothers and sisters.”
Cuomo, who also thanked some of the more than 700 New Yorkers providing disaster relief in Puerto Rico, specifically ripped Washington for its misplaced priorities.
The same politicians who worked late into the night on taxreform legislation are ignoring a $94 billion plan to rebuild Puerto Rico, the governor said during his third trip to the U.S. territory since the storm.
“They should have half that energy in helping the people of Puerto Rico who are suffering day in and day out,” said Cuomo, who flew back to the state just hours later.
“Their priorities are upside down. They are committed to passing the ‘Help The Rich People’ tax act.”
Puerto Rico declared bankruptcy just four months before the hurricane.
The governor spent a few minutes shaking hands and taking pictures with some of the New York workers — including Andrew Zambito, 30, a Con Edison worker from Staten Island.
“It’s a great feeling giving people their electrical power back,” said Zambito. “In New York, if people are without power for five minutes they’re ready to kill you. Down here, they haven’t had power for 80 days.”
Zambito arrived in Puerto Rico three weeks ago and finds his work incredibly rewarding.
“When you turn on the (power) switch, everybody runs outside and starts dancing like crazy,” he said. “It’s amazing. I love my job. I can’t imagine doing anything else.”
Full power on the island was not expected until February.
New York doctors and other health care professionals are among the many New Yorkers who have flown to Puerto Rico to offer assistance — including more than 500 workers trying to restore electricity.
“The way you’ll see Con Ed trucks in Manhattan, you’ll see Con Ed trucks in San Juan,” the governor said.
Cuomo also visited the town of Canóvanas, where former President Bill Clinton arrived last month with medical supplies and solar-energy equipment.
As Cuomo walked down the hill through town, a group of women began cheering his arrival. “Thank you for coming to this neighborhood, because we need so much help,” former New Yorker Margie Martinez, 62, told him.
At an evening news conference, Puerto Rico Governor Ricardo Rossello offered gushing praise to his New York counterpart.
“The governor has been helping Puerto Rico since before the storm,” Rossello said. “I can’t stop reiterating what that has meant to the people of Puerto Rico. One thing is to talk about help, the other is to go ahead and do it.”