Audio By Carbonatix
The White House plans to announce an $11.6 billion aid package for Puerto Rico, focused on the territory’s energy and education systems, to help the island recover from the devastation brought by 2017’s Hurricane Maria, Fox News reported on Friday, citing unnamed sources.
Puerto Rico was already struggling financially before the deadly hurricane struck three years ago, and filed a form of municipal bankruptcy for the commonwealth in 2017 to restructure about $120 billion of debt and obligations.
Since then, the U.S. commonwealth has been hit by more hurricanes, earthquakes, the coronavirus pandemic and political upheaval, and has been the target of increased federal scrutiny into its use of U.S. aid.
A large portion of its financial distress was linked to the territory’s power utility.
Meanwhile, Republican President Donald Trump is working to woo Hispanic voters in the upcoming Nov. 3 presidential election, where he is in a tight race against Democrat Joe Biden.
Biden said Trump “has done nothing but assault the dignity of Hispanic families” in a speech on Tuesday in Kissimmee, Florida, where many people settled after fleeing Maria’s devastation.
Latest Stories
-
CAF CC: ‘Nations FC will do much better than we did in Mali’ – Dennis Korsah
5 minutes -
Digital fraud incidents rise 98% between 2022 and 2025 – BoG
19 minutes -
Only 72 of 148 state entities signed performance contracts in 2025 – SIGA
22 minutes -
38 African scientists, 17 global experts storm Kumasi as KNUST opens GPOL optics hub
25 minutes -
Forged certificate scandal in security recruitment poses grave threat to national stability – Jatikay Centre
36 minutes -
UK deepens reliance on Musk’s SpaceX, spending nearly $40 million on satellite services
51 minutes -
Anti-corruption fight going nowhere without institutional independence – Kissi Agyebeng
55 minutes -
Minority demands documents to account for GH¢49.7m South Africa evacuation cost
55 minutes -
Iceland to propose whaling ban, leaving Norway and Japan isolated
1 hour -
‘Significant casualties’ after fire on cargo ship in eastern China
1 hour -
Ghana must build a national reading culture to drive knowledge economy—Educationist
1 hour -
When fifty-five thousand children fail, who else has failed?
1 hour -
Russian drone incursion delays Zelensky flight
1 hour -
MMDAs must take responsibility for sanitation – Mahama Ayariga
1 hour -
Not all hypertension medicines cause erectile dysfunction – Kwame Sarpong Asiedu
1 hour