President Donald Trump is clearing the way for additional federal funding for storm-ravaged Puerto Rico, as the territory continues to recover from the devastation left by Hurricane Maria.
Trump is amending his earlier disaster declaration to increase the share of rebuilding and recovery costs borne by the federal government on the cash-strapped island.
Washington will now pay 90 percent of the cost of rebuilding Puerto Rico, including repairing public infrastructure like hospitals, bridges and roads, and the costs of rebuilding the island’s devastated power grid.
Typically, U.S. states cover 25 percent of those costs, with federal taxpayers covering the remaining 75 percent. Puerto Rico’s finances were in shambles even before the storm made landfall in September.
Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.