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HF Statement on Trump’s Response to Revised Death Toll from Hurricane Maria

August 30, 2018 (New York, NY) – Hispanic Federation President José Calderón has issued the following statement on Trump’s Response to Revised Death Toll from Hurricane Maria.
 
“President Trump's insistence yesterday that his administration's response to Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico was "fantastic" would be laughable were it not for the tragic loss of life and property on the island.”   

“By its own account, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) was woefully unprepared for the storm lacking the material, personnel, and logistical capacity to adequately provide aid to millions of Puerto Ricans. The end result of this profoundly inadequate preparation and response was the loss of approximately 3,000 lives and the displacement of hundreds of thousands of men, women, and children.”  

“No other natural disaster in recent American history has claimed so many lives and disrupted so many others. And by nearly every available measure, the Trump administration failed miserably to do its job.”  

“Rather than undeservedly congratulating himself, President Trump should demonstrate true leadership by supporting a Marshall Plan-style recovery for the island that includes debt forgiveness, public infrastructure investment, and support for alternative sources of energy production. That would truly be fantastic.”