Looming FEMA Deadline of Transitional Housing for Hurricane Maria Victims is More Proof of the Federal Government’s Mismanagement

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Power 4 Puerto Rico coalition released the following statement in response to the Trump administration’s impending deadline for the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Transitional Sheltering Assistance (TSA) Program on June 30 to families across the nation.

“It is an outrage that FEMA is planning to end the Transitional Sheltering Assistance Program for thousands of displaced Puerto Rican families currently living on the mainland. FEMA’s temporary housing program for hurricanes Katrina and Rita surpassed the statutory 18-month limit to 26 months, yet Puerto Rican families are being denied this safeguard after only 9 months. Why is there inconsistency and gross disregard for the lives and well-being of Puerto Rican families now?

“There is no excuse for the continued mismanagement of one of the worst natural disasters in US history. FEMA and the Trump Administration are willfully neglecting 2,300 U.S. citizens by effectively putting them out on the street THIS Saturday instead of fulfilling their obligation to protect and serve the public. We demand that the federal government use the tools at their disposal, be it a Disaster Housing Assistance Program, an expanded Direct Lease, or a TSA extension, and provide equal treatment to every US citizen seeking refuge and safety.”

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Power 4 Puerto Rico is a coalition of organizations, leaders, and advocates from across the nation calling on Congress and the Administration to adopt an ambitious, new agenda that will put Puerto Rico’s economy on the road to future growth and prosperity. The coalition includes 32BJ Service Employees International Union, American Federation of Teachers (AFT), BoricuActívate, Center for American Progress (CAP), Center for Popular Democracy (CPD), Hedge Clippers, Hispanic Federation, Hispanic National Bar Association (HNBA), Labor Council For Latin American Advancement (LCLAA), Make the Road (New York, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, New Jersey), UnidosUS, Vamos4PR, and many more.