Tell Congress: Save lives in Puerto Rico. Fully fund disaster relief and rebuilding

Petition to the U.S. Senate: "$600 million for food stamps is not enough. Reject Trump's approach to Puerto Rico and fully fund critical disaster relief, reconstruction funding, physical and mental health care, food assistance expansion and long-term climate resilient solutions." Add your name: Trump refuses to sign a hurricane disaster relief bill if it includes significant funds for Puerto Rico. He made it clear he will reject any bill for hurricane-stricken states and territories that includes more than $600 million solely for food assistance in Puerto Rico, even though even Senate Republicans agree that the island needs far more to rebuild.1 After Hurricane Maria crushed Puerto Rico, killed more than 3,000 Americans, and left millions more without electricity and reliable access to food and water, Donald Trump floated the idea of never rebuilding the island. Now, Trump is trying to make that idea a horrific reality.  We cannot let him get away with blocking aid to Americans in desperate need. Trump's intransigence is already driving a wedge between him and congressional Republicans – we need to ramp up the pressure to get Puerto Rico the help it needs. Tell the Senate: Save lives in Puerto Rico. Fully fund disaster relief and rebuilding. Click here to sign the petition. With a new hurricane season approaching, Trump's policies will cost even more lives. Already, the Puerto Rican government cut more than 1 million people off of food assistance. And in a recent speech in Florida, Trump lied again about how much aid Puerto Rico already received. Instead of serving all Americans, Trump is trying to pit disaster survivors against each other with vicious lies.2 The manager of the world-champion Boston Red Sox even refused to visit the White House over Trump's Puerto Rico stance.3 Puerto Rico is the sticking point holding up a major disaster relief bill that would help Texas, Florida and Georgia as well – and Donald Trump is the only person standing in the way. Democrats are standing strong and recently voted down a bill that only had $600 million in food stamps for Puerto Rico. Some Republican senators want more funding than Trump. But their proposals are significantly less than what is needed to rebuild the island, provide continuing relief after the disaster of Hurricane Maria and improve Puerto Rico's ability to cope with devastating climate change.4 Trump's callous take on Puerto Rico is costing lives. He caused massive delays in aid efforts even as the elderly were dying due to the lack of medicine or electricity for ventilators and dialysis, then later tweeted that Puerto Ricans “want everything to be done for them.” Trump also accused San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz of criticizing the disaster response because Democrats put her up to it, insisted that Wall Street be able to profit off loans to Puerto Rico and said the disaster wasn’t a “real catastrophe” like Katrina during a trip where he tossed paper towels to desperate people like he was a game show host. We need to turn the pressure up on Trump – and make sure corporate Democrats and Republicans continue to press to fully fund Puerto Rico's recovery. Tell the Senate: Save lives in Puerto Rico. Fully fund disaster relief and rebuilding. Click here to sign the petition. The crisis in Puerto Rico is decades in the making and the result of a colonial approach to the island. First, it was the exploitation of the sugarcane industry. Then, Congress turned Puerto Rico into a tax haven for manufacturing and pharmaceutical companies. When Congress allowed those tax breaks to expire, the Puerto Rican economy collapsed and its government had to take on additional debt. Washington then imposed an unelected, Wall Street-backed “fiscal control board” to institute harsh austerity measures in response to that debt. Puerto Ricans are American citizens – but have been treated like colonial possessions to be exploited by large corporations and then told they cannot manage their own affairs. They had no voice in Congress when our government was boosting oil and gas companies and are suffering now that climate change has supercharged storms and devastated the island. Now, Donald Trump is willing to let people die to serve his agenda. We can't let that happen. Tell the Senate: Save lives in Puerto Rico. Fully fund disaster relief and rebuilding. Click below to sign the petition: https://act.credoaction.com/sign/puerto-rico-disaster-relief-bill?t=10&akid=32533%2E3130208%2EzTqCET - Heidi Hess, CREDO Action Add your name: References: Haley Bird and Phil Mattingly, "Stalled disaster relief package shows Congress-White House split," CNN, May 9, 2019. Kathryn Krawczyk, "Trump keeps telling the same whopper about Puerto Rico," The Week, May 9, 2019. Devin Cole and Betsy Klein, "Red Sox manager to skip White House visit, citing Trump's Puerto Rico hurricane response," CNN, May 6, 2019. Bird and Mattingly, "Stalled disaster relief package shows Congress-White House split." More information:  House Approves Disaster Relief and Puerto Rico Aid Over Trump’s Opposition - The New York Times House passes Trump-opposed disaster-relief bill with more funding for Puerto Rico - The Washington Post Trump off on Puerto Rico funding by $50 billion: Weekly Fact Check

Demand action and support climate disaster survivors

An $81-billion climate-disaster bill to help the survivors of Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria and the Western wildfires has languished since December. Right now, Congress isn’t planning to include any disaster relief in this week’s continuing resolution. As communities from Puerto Rico to California struggle to recover from these disasters, we cannot leave them behind.

It is critical that we drive as many calls to Congress right now to demand better for our fellow Americans under attack not just by fossil-fueled disasters but also their own government.

Make a call to your representative in Congress as they vote on the stopgap spending bill.

Let your Congressperson know you are paying attention to this vote and expect them to do much more in the days and months ahead:
-Tens of thousands of Puerto Ricans are still without power, and will not have vital services restored for months
-The total amount of the disaster bill is far too low—the survivors of disasters in Texas, Florida, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, the California wildfires and mudslides need much more help

There must be accountability for the Trump administration’s response to these crises! The fossil-fuel industry must be held accountable for its deliberate profit from climate pollution

In Texas, coastal towns struggle to return to normalcy, with the majority of businesses in the area still closed.

The death toll for the California mudslides has risen to 20, with more people still missing. This comes on the heels of some of the most destructive wildfires in California history, costing the state at least $9 billion.

Many Puerto Ricans spent the holidays without power, and will not have restored access to electricity for another 6 months. With dwindling resources and overburdened workers, tens of thousands of citizens are waiting months for even emergency repairs to their homes.

The 3.4 million American citizens of Puerto Rico have no vote in Congress. They are working to survive, recover, and rebuild. Today, we can take a minute to be their voice.

Call your Congressional representatives now and demand climate justice.

Let us know how your calls went.

- Climate Hawks

References

Texas towns hit hard by Hurricane Harvey work to recover, Associated Press
http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/texas-towns-hit-hard-hurricane-harvey-work-recover-52360860

California mudslides: Death toll rises to 20, 4 still missing, CNN
http://www.cnn.com/2018/01/14/us/southern-california-mudslides/index.html

Costs to Fight 2017 California Wildfires Shatter Records, Courthouse News
https://www.courthousenews.com/costs-to-fight-2017-california-wildfires-shatters-records/

La Ruta De María: A journey along the path of the hurricane, CNN
http://www.cnn.com/2018/01/12/us/sutter-maria-route-puerto-rico-invs/index.html

Stand with Sen. Sanders: Ask your Senators to Rebuild Puerto Rico

While most of us sat down to celebrate Thanksgiving with our families, countless Americans in Puerto Rico were still going without power or running water.¹

The Trump administration’s response to Puerto Rico’s crisis reeks of blatant disregard for the lives at stake. Even as the island slowly recovers, Wall Street vultures are moving in trying to profit off the privatization of valuable infrastructure.

Sen. Bernie Sanders has a bold plan to fix all this. Flanked by progressive champions like Sen. Elizabeth Warren, he just introduced a $146 billion “Marshall Plan” to rebuild Puerto Rico – putting struggling people first and giving them the resources needed to build a more sustainable future.² 

Stand with Sen. Sanders: Rebuild Puerto Rico. Click here to sign the petition.

The Trump administration has requested inadequate aid relief – with Texas and Florida getting first dibs and Puerto Rico getting the scraps.³ Trump appears to have spent more time in Twitter feuds with the mayor of San Juan and throwing supplies to suffering people in Puerto Rico like a bad game show host than doing anything to help.⁴

In contrast, Sen. Sanders’ bill would give Puerto Ricans the help they need to rebuild by:⁵

• Tackling the immediate humanitarian crisis. The bill would remove logistical obstacles to providing the help needed now and help the farms and local food producers that were obliterated in the storm. It would also clean up the environmental risks created by the storm, make health care cheaper and more available to Americans in Puerto Rico, and ensure that federal aid does not put Puerto Rico any further in debt.
• Banning privatization and promoting debt relief. Sanders’ plan would put control over the future of Puerto Rico in the hands of the people there, not Wall Street hedge funds and bank-backed control boards that demand austerity measures. It would prevent using the disaster as an excuse to privatize the electrical grid, water utilities and roads in order to profit from these once-public goods and push for full debt relief.
• Rebuilding better. Under Sanders’ bill, the Puerto Rican power grid would be modernized and eventually draw 70 percent of its power from renewable sources. The plan also calls for a massive investment in VA hospitals and clinics; public schools, colleges and childcare centers; and infrastructure from roads and bridges to schools, public transit, clean water sources and broadband.

Every voice supporting this bill puts pressure on Congress to act – and exposes the sad Trump response to a real and ongoing crisis.

Stand with Sen. Sanders: Rebuild Puerto Rico. Click here to sign the petition.

The crisis in Puerto Rico is decades in the making and the result of a racist, colonial approach to the island. Sugarcane industry exploitation was the start. Then, Congress turned Puerto Rico into a tax haven, suddenly allowed those tax breaks to expire and plunged the island into economic depression and debt. Now, Wall Street hedge funds have bought that debt and use that power to impose harsh austerity measures that line their own pockets.⁶

Puerto Rico does not need more colonial micromanaging. Sen. Sanders’ bill puts control back in the hands of the people of Puerto Rico and gives them the resources they need to rebuild sustainably and prosperously. We need to get behind it in a big way.

Stand with Sen. Sanders: Rebuild Puerto Rico. Click below to sign the petition:

https://act.credoaction.com/sign/sanders_puerto_rico?t=8&akid=26241%2E3130208%2Eh_xh5V

- Murshed Zaheed, Political Director, CREDO Action

Add your name:

References:

1. David Caplan and Joshua Hoyos, “As Puerto Rico continues to recover from Maria, many residents turn to charities for a Thanksgiving meal,” ABC News, Nov. 24, 2017.
2. Jeff Stein, “Bernie Sanders to unveil a $146 billion ‘Marshall Plan’ for Puerto Rico,” The Washington Post, Nov. 28, 2017.
3. Ibid.
4. Alexia Fernandez Campbell, “Trump to Puerto Rico: your hurricane isn’t a ‘real catastrophe’ like Katrina,” Vox, Oct. 3, 2017.
5. Office of Sen. Bernie Sanders, "Sanders, Colleagues Unveil Legislation to Rebuild Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands," Nov. 28, 2017.
6. Juan Gonzalez, “Puerto Rico’s $123 billion bankruptcy is the cost of U.S. colonialism,” The Intercept, May 9, 2017.

ACT: Trump attacks Puerto Rico as House votes on disaster relief

First, make a call to your representative in Congress as they vote on climate disaster relief.

Let your Congressperson know you are paying attention to today’s vote and expect them to do much more in the days and months ahead:

• The situation in Puerto Rico is dire — millions of American citizens are at risk of starvation and death
• The total amount of the disaster bill is far too low—the survivors of in Texas, Florida, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, as well as the survivors of the Western wildfires need much more help
• Instead of increasing Puerto Rico’s debt by $5 billion, Congress should be eliminating all of its debt
• There must be relentless oversight of the Trump administration’s response to these crises
• The fossil-fuel industry must be held accountable for its deliberate profit from climate pollution

Here are the details of the Additional Supplemental Appropriations for Disaster Relief Requirements Act, 2017:

• $13.58 billion for the Federal Emergency Management Agency disaster relief fund, to be shared by all the hurricane survivors (including Texas and Florida) as determined by the Department of Homeland Security
• $4.9 billion for the FEMA disaster relief fund as a loan to Puerto Rico
• $150 million loan to Puerto Rico to cover matching funds for FEMA grants
• $1.27 billion grant to Puerto Rico for disaster nutrition assistance
• $576.5 million in U.S. Forest Service and Department of Interior grants for wildfire suppression and management
• $16 billion to cancel National Flood Insurance Program debt

In Texas, survivors are still grappling with exposure to millions of pounds of toxic chemicals spewed into the air and water from flooded oil facilities. The neighborhoods closest to the plants are overwhelmingly low-income people of color.

The official death toll of the California fires has reached 23, with 20,000 evacuees fleeing these fires fueled by decades of greenhouse pollution. Hundreds of people are missing. About 30 percent of the firefighters battling the blazes are prisoners, paid $2 an hour to risk their lives.

The official death toll in Puerto Rico has reached 45, but independent reporting has uncovered hundreds more dead, exposing what can only be described as deliberate undercounting and even cover-up by government officials. Communities desperate for water are drawing from toxic wells in Superfund sites.

The 3.4 million American citizens of Puerto Rico have no vote in Congress. They are working to survive, recover, and rebuild. Today, we can take a minute to be their voice.

Call your Congressional representatives now and demand climate justice.

- Brad

Climate hawks

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References

Text of the Additional Supplemental Appropriations for Disaster Relief Requirements Act, 2017
http://docs.house.gov/billsthisweek/20171009/HRES____.pdf

Puerto Rico Relief Bill Cancels $16 Billion in Debt — But Not for Puerto Rico,The Intercept
https://theintercept.com/2017/10/11/puerto-rico-relief-bill-cancels-16-billion-in-debt-but-not-for-puerto-rico/

Trump Attacks Puerto Rico, Threatens To Pull Emergency Responders, NBC News
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/trump-attacks-puerto-rico-threatens-pull-emergency-responders-n810036

House to vote Thursday on $36.5 billion disaster aid bill, CNN
http://www.cnn.com/2017/10/12/politics/house-vote-disaster-relief-bill/index.html

The official death toll in Puerto Rico is 45, but actual deaths are in the hundreds, Vox
https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2017/10/11/16424356/puerto-rico-official-hurricane-maria-death-toll

As Puerto Rico Struggles With Lack Of Drinking Water, Residents Turn To Toxic Waste Sites, Essence
https://www.essence.com/news/puerto-rico-lack-drinking-water-residents-turn-toxic-waste

Death toll in California is 23, 20,000 evacuees, Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/oct/11/california-fires-wine-country-death-toll-napa-valley

30 Percent of California’s Forest Firefighters Are Prisoners, Mother Jones
http://www.motherjones.com/environment/2015/08/40-percent-californias-fires-are-fought-prison-inmates/

Failures of floating-roof oil tanks during Harvey raise concerns, Houston Chronicle
http://www.houstonchronicle.com/business/energy/article/Failures-of-floating-roof-tanks-during-Harvey-12269513.php

Sign Petition; Tell Congress: Help Puerto Rico, not Wall Street

Petition to Congress: "Immediately pass a major Puerto Rico relief package, including billions in direct aid and grants, not loans and cover the reconstruction of the island’s electric grid and infrastructure. Restore control of Puerto Rico’s budget and spending to the island’s elected officials by eliminating the Financial Oversight and Management Board, and forgive Puerto Rico's Washington-manufactured debts so the island can make a lasting recovery." Add your name:

More than a week after Hurricane Maria slammed into Puerto Rico, millions of American citizens there are still without electricity and reliable access to basic necessities like food and water.1 The quick and overwhelming response to Hurricanes Harvey and Irma has been utterly missing in Puerto Rico. Instead, the Trump administration took a week to waive shipping restrictions, causing massive delays in aid efforts even as the elderly were dying due to the lack of medicine or electricity for ventilators and dialysis.2 Instead of springing into action, Donald Trump has tweeted that Puerto Ricans “want everything to be done for them,” accused San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz of criticizing the disaster response only because Democrats put her up to it insisted that Wall Street still be able to profit off loans to Puerto Rico.3,4 After decades of exploiting Puerto Rico to help Wall Street, our government is now ignoring American citizens in desperate need. So we are standing with our friends at Democracy for America to demand that Congress act immediately to provide a massive aid package and end Wall Street's hedge fund exploitation of Puerto Rico. Tell Congress: Help Puerto Rico, not Wall Street. Click here to sign the petition. After the Trump administration labelled the disaster response a “good-news story,” Mayor Cruz declared “this is a 'people are dying' story.”5Once again, Trump flew off the handle when a person of color dared to criticize him. But while the mayor was sleeping on a cot and is doing all she can for her people, Trump was enjoying a day of golf.6 Only recently were there reports that Trump would request aid for Puerto Rico, with no guarantees that it will be enough or free the island from the hands of hedge funds.7 The crisis in Puerto Rico is decades in the making, and the result of a racist, colonial approach to the island. First, it was sugarcane industry exploitation. Then, Congress turned Puerto Rico into a tax haven for manufacturing and pharmaceutical companies. When Congress allowed those tax breaks to expire, the economy collapsed and the island plunged into debt.8 Wall Street hedge funds bought the debt and used that leverage to force Puerto Rico’s government to slash infrastructure and the social safety net while paying them billions in interest and fees. Washington has since imposed an unelected, Wall Street-backed “fiscal control board” to institute harsh austerity measures.9 The hedge funds that bought up Puerto Rico’s manufactured debt even pushed a new deal just days ago in an attempt to profit off of the disaster.10 Puerto Rico does not need more racist, colonial micromanaging. Congress must immediately pass a massive relief package like the ones for Irma and Harvey, end Wall Street control over the island, and forgive the island’s debts. Tell Congress: Help Puerto Rico, not Wall Street. Click here to sign the petition. Puerto Ricans are American citizens – but have been treated like colonial possessions to be exploited by large corporations and then told they cannot manage their own affairs. They had no voice in Congress when our government was boosting oil and gas companies, but now that climate change has supercharged storms and devastated the island, Trump has even floated the idea that Puerto Rico not be rebuilt at all.11 The rest of America has failed in our obligations to our sisters and brothers in Puerto Rico for far too long. Congress must not only pass a massive relief package, but tackle the underlying outrage by ending Wall Street control over the island and forgiving its Washington-created debt. Tell Congress: Help Puerto Rico, not Wall Street. Click the link below to sign the petition: https://act.credoaction.com/sign/puerto_rico?t=8&akid=25264%2E3130208%2ECt_UXd - Murshed Zaheed, Political Director CREDO Action from Working Assets Add your name: References: Oren Dorell, “With long lines for food, water and fuel and no electricity, Puerto Ricans help each other,” USA Today, Oct. 1, 2017. Carla Minet, “Nature caused Puerto Rico’s latest crisis. But politics are making it worse.” The Washington Post, Sept. 29, 2017. David A. Graham, “Trump Takes to Twitter as Puerto Rico's Crisis Mounts,” The Atlantic, Oct. 1, 2017. John Wagner, “Trump declares Puerto Rico is in ‘deep trouble’ as questions mount about his commitment,” The Washington Post, Sept. 25, 2017. Juana Summers, “Trump attacks San Juan mayor over hurricane response,” CNN, Sept. 30, 2017. Ibid. Rebecca Savransky, “Trump to request for more disaster relief funds this week: report,” The Hill, Oct. 2, 2017. Juan Gonzalez, “Puerto Rico’s $123 billion bankruptcy is the cost of U.S. colonialism,” The Intercept, May 9, 2017. Ibid. David Dayen, “Puerto Rico rejects loan offers, accusing hedge funds of trying to profit off hurricanes,” The Intercept, Sept. 28, 2017. Julia Ainsley, “Trump Administration Won’t Promise To Fix Puerto Rico’s Infrastructure,” NBCNews, Sept. 29, 2017.

"If anyone can hear us...HELP!

President Donald Trump, Majority Leader Paul Ryan, and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell are failing to act to help the people of Puerto Rico survive and rebuild from the devastation of the fossil-fueled Hurricane Maria.

The 3.4 million American citizens of Puerto Rico have no representation in Congress -- they need all of us to demand action from our elected leaders.

Please add your name.

To Donald Trump and the U.S. Congress: "Aid our fellow Americans in Puerto Rico immediately, including rapid, just, and comprehensive relief and recovery legislation."

- Climate Hawks Vote