New Month, Same Fight for Puerto Rico

On May, 1st Hispanic Federation helped to lead, DISASTER AID NOW, and advocacy day and press conference in Washington, D.C. A non-partisan coalition comprised of national advocacy groups, and business and industry partners came together to advocate for immediate passage of a disaster aid supplement bill to meet the urgent needs of so many communities and municipalities in the US. Our message was simple: the stalemate in Congress is hurting the nutrition, health, housing, farming and business needs of individuals and families across the states and territories.

“It is very clear that that the President has decided that he will continue to oppose giving Puerto Rico the funding it needs to rebuild in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria,” said Hispanic Federation President José Calderón. “He is so committed to the idea of punishing Puerto Rico that he is holding disaster relief aid to other parts of the country hostage. We went to Washington to let Congress and the President know that disaster relief is an urgent necessity and that Puerto Rico cannot be forgotten.”

Among the groups joining Hispanic Federation in this effort were the Coalition for Human Need, Bread for the World, National Low Income Housing Coalition, Mazon – A Jewish response to hunger, and the Coalition for Food Security - Puerto Rico.

The group met with congressional leaders, particularly those whose communities have been severely affected by catastrophic weather such as Texas, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Alabama, Iowa, Nebraska and Puerto Rico and whose recovery is dependent on the pending disaster aid bill.