Senator Elizabeth Warren and Congressman Adriano Espaillat Push Housing Relief for Puerto Rico

Text of Letter (PDF)

Washington, DC – Last week, United States Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and U.S. Congressman Adriano Espaillat (D-N.Y.) sent a joint letter to U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer in which they underscore the urgent need to pass the Housing Survivors of Major Disasters Act, which would provide crucial relief to thousands of families who lost homes in natural disasters and ensure that future disaster relief efforts are more effective.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has already exacerbated the economic uncertainty and the medical and public health infrastructure crisis across the nation and in Puerto Rico—places where hurricanes have devastated families, leaving them searching for safe, stable and affordable housing. Congress needs to pass the Housing Survivors of Major Disasters Act to improve disaster response programs and benefit those hit hard by these catastrophic natural disasters,” said Senator Warren. 

“The Trump Administration’s indiscriminate response to Hurricanes Maria and Irma has cost the people of Puerto Rico thousands of lives, businesses, and homes. Federal housing relief programs we used on the island proved far too burdensome, with documentation and notarization requirements that do not comport with the reality of post-disaster conditions,” said Congressman Espaillat. “This vital legislation received bipartisan praise in a recent House markup precisely because of its requisiteness to the modernization of our disaster relief programs and the immediate health and safety of thousands of US citizens in Puerto Rico.”

For more information about Senator Warren’s extensive work fighting for robust recovery efforts for Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, visit www.warren.senate.gov/puertorico.