REP. ADRIANO ESPAILLAT INTRODUCES 10-POINT PLAN FOR PUERTO RICO RELIEF

October 2, 2017
Press Release

NEW YORK, N.Y. – Today during a press conference with local officials and community leaders, Rep. Adriano Espaillat (NY-13) introduced his 10-point plan to address the current humanitarian crisis facing Puerto Rico in the wake of Hurricane Maria.

"I witnessed the devastation and humanitarian crisis in Puerto Rico firsthand," said Rep. Espaillat. "As I travelled throughout the area, I met dozens of emergency workers from various cities around our nation on their way to provide assistance to families in need. I met with Governor Ricardo Rossello and San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz and discussed with them efforts currently underway and ways that the federal government and Congress can improve our response to address immediate and long-term goals to help rebuild.

"My 10-point plan was created following my assessment and as a solution to provide an immediate emergency relief package for the humanitarian crisis we are witnessing in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. It is my hope that we, are members of Congress, will work together to find solutions quickly as the lives of U.S. citizens are at stake and the efforts to rebuild have remained encumbered."

Rep. Espaillat's 10-Point Plan for Puerto Rico calls for the following:

  1. An immediate $20 billion emergency relief package for Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands
  2. A hearing on Puerto Rico recovery efforts and Congressional Task Force to coordinate relief efforts
  3. Permanent waiver of the Jones Act
  4. Immediate deployment of the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier
  5. Repair of telecommunications systems
  6. Authorization of army engineers to repair hospital generators
  7. Authorization of U.S. medical institutions to transport area children with life threatening conditions
  8. Restoration of funding for municipalities in Puerto Rico
  9. Deployment of truck drivers to help transport fuel, water, food, and medicine to families
  10. Analysis and prevention of potential epidemics and public health crisis

During today's press conference, Rep. Espaillat was joined Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney (NY-12), New York state and city elected officials and Puerto Rican leaders and advocates.

Watch video from today's press conference. Read Rep. Espaillat's 10-point Plan for Puerto Rico in its entirety.

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First elected to Congress in 2016, Rep. Adriano Espaillat is serving his first term in Congress where he serves as a member of the influential U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee, the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, and the House Select Committee on Small Business. He is a member of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) and serves in a leadership role as CHC Freshman Representative to the Democratic Caucus. He is also chairman of the CHC Task Force for Transportation, Infrastructure and Housing. Rep. Espaillat's Congressional District includes Harlem, East Harlem, northern Manhattan and the north-west Bronx. To find out more about Rep. Espaillat, visit online at /.

Media inquiries: Candace Randle Person at Candace.Person@mail.house.gov