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THREAD: Freaked out about Puerto Rico? Me too. Here's a short list of what we must do right now to rescue Puerto Rico.
1/ Expand disaster declaration for the whole island. Trump's original order only covered part - whole island needs immediate relief.
2/ Attach supplemental relief funds to must-pass FAA reauthorization bill this week. FEMA disaster money runs out in a few weeks. Why wait?
3/ Waive matching funds requirement for relief money to Puerto Rico. Th entire economy is crippled - no way for PR to come up with match.
4/ Dramatically expand military personnel count in Puerto Rico. Problem right now isn't money - it's man power to clear roads, rebuild, etc.
5/ Quicken food assistance by using the Disaster SNAP program - fastest way to get nutrition to thousands of hungry kids and parents.
6/ Extend 26 wk limit on Disaster Unemployment benefits - entire ag economy is ruined, cities devastated. Rebuild will take more than 6 mo.
7/ Lift cap on Medicaid funding for Puerto Rico - federal underpayments to PR weakened economy, made Maria's impact worse. Time to remedy.
8/ This isn't entire list of what needs to be done. Point is to start acting boldly NOW. End the double standard of disaster relief!
