Trump’s Negligence Is Still Hurting Puerto Rico, So Hundreds Marched to Demand Action
Yuge crowd. Yuge. #UnityMarchforPuertoRico pic.twitter.com/ueedKhD3Hq
— Lin-Manuel Miranda (@Lin_Manuel) November 19, 2017
Today (Sunday), hundreds of marchers walked through Washington, D.C. and gathered at the Lincoln Memorial to demand action on behalf of Puerto Rico. The U.S. territory was devastated by Hurricane Maria in September, and Trump’s unforgivably slow response to the crisis has killed hundreds, with death toll estimates ranging from 472 to 900. And the crisis is still ongoing.
As The Washington Post reports, “Two months after the hurricane, more than half of the island is still without power, according to a Puerto Rican government website tracking disaster relief. About 10 percent of the island’s residents still lack access to running water.”
In addition to the damage that’s already been done, the Trump administration has also requested a truly insulting disaster relief budget. According to Reuters, Puerto Rico Governor Ricardo Rossello asked for $94 billion for disaster relief. However, the White House only asked Congress for a combined $44 billion to cover hurricane relief in Texas, Puerto Rico, and Florida. (Texas had asked for $61 billion, and Florida for $27 billion. This means the combined total for the three should be $182 billion.) Though White House Budget Mick Mulvaney claimed this number “does not represent the final request,” members of Congress still recognized this cruelty for what it is. Senator John Cornyn of Texas called the amount “wholly inadequate,” while Representative Frank Pallone of New Jersey and Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon called it “a dereliction of duty by the Trump administration.”
Below are a few tweets from the event. As always, you can help by calling your representatives to demand action, or by donating to Puerto Rico disaster recovery efforts, such as the Hispanic Federation‘s.
A sea of Puerto Rican flags outside the US Capitol this morning. I’ve never quite seen anything like it. Thousands here for the #unitymarchforpuertorico to call on the rest of America to help the island. pic.twitter.com/jOlo0qoVvy
— Kellie Meyer (@KellieMeyerNews) November 19, 2017
“I’m here as a millennial with hundreds of university students to stand for #PuertoRico” #UnityMarchforPuertoRico #Power4PuertoRico pic.twitter.com/ybqJbC4osM
— Power4PuertoRico (@Pwr4PuertoRico) November 19, 2017
#UnityMarchforPuertoRico pic.twitter.com/tXZemMOHPg
— Lin-Manuel Miranda (@Lin_Manuel) November 19, 2017
Earlier today at the #unitymarchforpr pic.twitter.com/ifSZju2wnf
— Luis V. Gutierrez (@RepGutierrez) November 19, 2017
Puerto Ricans are Americans citizens who are still suffering after Hurricane Maria. Standing in solidarity with those attending the #UnityMarchforPuertoRico today. pic.twitter.com/ooO3R46lOd
— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) November 19, 2017
Something tells me this crowd hasn’t forgotten about that paper towel stunt. #UnityMarchforPuertoRico pic.twitter.com/YdWtFJL8Db
— Alejandro Alvarez (@aletweetsnews) November 19, 2017
In the crowd of #UnityMarchforPuertoRico: @RepEspaillat pic.twitter.com/yr7zDZvhE2
— NBC Latino (@NBCLatino) November 19, 2017
And of course, America’s favorite cinnamon roll was on hand, taking selfies and tweeting about his mom’s knitting:
Proud that @Lin_Manuel is spending his Sunday standing w/ #PuertoRico …and having fun doing it! #Power4PuertoRico #unitymarchforpuertorico pic.twitter.com/Y24qr92qfd
— Power4PuertoRico (@Pwr4PuertoRico) November 19, 2017
My mom swears she can knit and march at the same time
I guess we’ll see #UnityMarchforPuertoRico— Lin-Manuel Miranda (@Lin_Manuel) November 19, 2017
(Via Reuters and The Washington Post; featured image via Shutterstock)
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