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SAN JUAN -- Like President Donald Trump, Vice President Mike Pence did not venture far from Puerto Rico’s capital Friday when he got a firsthand look at how badly Hurricane Maria hurt the island.
But he continued to pledge Washington would not forget about its fellow Americans in the Caribbean, many of whom continue to be without running water, power or communications 16 days after Maria made landfall in Puerto Rico.
“We have a long way to go,” Pence acknowledged at Iglesia Santa Bernardita, a church in an eastern San Juan suburb. “President Trump and I know this.”
Puerto Rico is still in emergency-response mode, still working to provide adequate food and water to communities cut off by blocked or destroyed roads and bridges and unable to reach regional supply centers set up in conjunction with the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Only 10 percent of Puerto Ricans have power, and about 55 percent have running water, according to the territory’s government.
What Gov. Ricardo Rosselló said he wanted from Pence was a commitment to be Puerto Rico’s friend in the U.S. Senate, once lawmakers take up an aid package for the bankrupt island, Rosselló told reporters before Pence’s arrival. Pence is known to have the ear of Republican lawmakers — and, as vice president, he breaks any tied Senate votes.
“It is important that he knows the magnitude of the damage,” Rosselló said. “I believe that we will have a great spokesperson and a great supporter with his leadership in the Senate.”
More here.
Photo credit: Kenneth Thomas, Associated Press
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