President Signs Disaster Aid Package with Billions in Relief For Puerto Rico, US States and Territories

international | elections / politics | news report Thursday June 06, 2019 21:31 by Kate Zeller - Jubilee USA Network

President Trump signed a disaster relief bill Thursday that will provide of $1 billion in aid to hurricane ravaged Puerto Rico.

Washington DC - Aboard Airforce One on Thursday, President Trump signed into law a $19.1 billion disaster relief package to aid Americans recovering from flooding, wildfires, hurricanes and other natural disasters.

"Millions of Americans are suffering from natural disasters and this relief package is urgently needed,” said Eric LeCompte, Executive Director of the religious development group Jubilee USA. “For the last 8 months, we worked hard to secure disaster food assistance for Puerto Rico. Now that emergency relief will be delivered.”

The package includes more than $900 million in emergency food and housing assistance for more than a million people living in Puerto Rico.

"Today we celebrate the bipartisan efforts of Republicans and Democrats who reached across the aisle to deliver relief for Americans living in Puerto Rico and States across our country," noted LeCompte.

Jubilee USA Network is an alliance of more than 75 US organizations and 700 faith communities working with 50 Jubilee global partners. Jubilee USA builds an economy that serves, protects and promotes the participation of the most vulnerable. Jubilee USA wins critical global financial reforms and won more than $130 billion in debt relief to benefit the world's poorest people. www.jubileeusa.org