MassLive: Elizabeth Warren, Ed Markey again press FEMA to help hurricane evacuees, slam agency's claims on Disaster Housing Assistance Program

U.S. Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey, D-Massachusetts, condemned the Trump administration Thursday for refusing to utilize a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development program to help Puerto Rican families who remain in mainland hotels nine months after Hurricane Maria made landfall.

The senators renewed their call for the Federal Emergency Management Agency to utilize HUD's Disaster Housing Assistance Program to provide long-term shelter supports to evacuees, contending that officials' arguments against taking such an action are "misleading," "unpersuasive" and inaccurate.

The Massachusetts Democrats further criticized the administration for suggesting that DHAP, which provides subsidies to help families pay rent, put down security deposits or pay utilities, is ineffective or costly.

Noting that hundreds of hurricane survivors could become homeless if the administration fails to act by June 30 -- the expiration for FEMA's Transitional Sheltering Assistance program -- Warren and Markey stressed that the "federal government has a responsibility to make sure that these evacuees have access to the most effective housing options available."

Read the full story on the MassLive website here.

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