Share

Rossello 'ready to battle' Trump if disaster aid diverted to wall

Puerto Rico Governor Ricardo Rossello said he is ready for a battle with President Donald Trump if he redirects federal disaster aid from the Caribbean island and to the proposed border wall.

Rossello’s administration has evaluated their legal options if Trump were to use federal disaster aid that’s already been pegged for Puerto Rico’s recovery from Hurricane Maria to instead help finance a barrier along the border with Mexico.

Congress approved the disaster funds and Trump signed the allocation into law, so those disaster relief funds are designated for the territory, Rossello said Tuesday on Bloomberg Radio.

"For most of the monies we have a strategy forward," Rossello said about his team’s legal plan if Trump took disaster aid away from the commonwealth. "And of course we hope we don’t have to get there. We hope that the president would see that rebuilding US citizens’ lives is a priority. But if it gets to that point, we are ready to battle."

Reports emerged last month that the White House may raid disaster-relief funds to circumvent Congress, where lawmakers’ refusal to back the project triggered the record setting government shutdown that ended last month.

Rossello is set to attend Trump’s State of the Union address Tuesday night as a guest of US Senator Charles Schumer. He’s been seeking to speed up the pace at which the federal government has been allocating disaster aid to the island.

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Rand - Dollar
18.88
+0.3%
Rand - Pound
23.85
+0.2%
Rand - Euro
20.37
+0.3%
Rand - Aus dollar
12.31
+0.3%
Rand - Yen
0.12
+0.3%
Platinum
908.05
0.0%
Palladium
1,014.94
0.0%
Gold
2,232.75
-0.0%
Silver
24.95
-0.1%
Brent Crude
87.00
+1.8%
Top 40
68,346
0.0%
All Share
74,536
0.0%
Resource 10
57,251
0.0%
Industrial 25
103,936
0.0%
Financial 15
16,502
0.0%
All JSE data delayed by at least 15 minutes Iress logo
Company Snapshot
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE
Government tenders

Find public sector tender opportunities in South Africa here.

Government tenders
This portal provides access to information on all tenders made by all public sector organisations in all spheres of government.
Browse tenders