U.S. Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), Chairman of the House panel on global human rights, joined his colleagues in sending a bipartisan letter to President Trump calling for increased federal aid to Puerto Rico.

            “The people of Puerto Rico are suffering from the catastrophic impact of Hurricane Maria and need comprehensive humanitarian aid and federal support. In addition to food, water and medical assistance, communication system restoration and infrastructure rebuilding are critical parts of the emergency response,” said Smith.

“We must take action to ensure that all federal agencies are able to deploy the assets at their disposal without any more red tape,” he added.

         Smith quoted from the letter which reads in part:

‘FEMA and other government agencies such as the Office of Cybersecurity and Communications at the Department of Homeland Security’s National Protection and Programs Directorate have the mission of helping restore emergency communications networks and critical infrastructure for government, first responders, states, and localities. In addition, the Department of Defense has the capacity to provide resources and capabilities when other federal agencies are overwhelmed. We respectfully request that the full extent of these federal assets be deployed immediately to help restore individual service as well- at least until private service providers can fully restore their networks.’

            See text of the full letter, led by Rep. José E. Serrano (D-NY) and Del. Jenniffer González-Colón (R-PR), here.

     Puerto Rico, a U.S. territory with a population of close to 3.5 million, was ravaged by Hurricane Maria 10 days ago. Due to the destruction of the Category 4 storm, millions remain without access to electricity, food or water. As of Friday morning, there have been 16 deaths directly related to the storm, and without action, this number is expected to increase.

     In response to the devastation, President Trump waived the Jones Act, a law dating from the 1920s that requires all ships that go from one American port to another to be American ships. Even as the waiver has provided additional aid to the ports of Puerto Rico, distributing supplies on the island has been a challenge due to the damaged infrastructure.

     “The waiving of the Jones Act has provided the opportunity to get aid to the people of Puerto Rico,” said Smith. “However, 10 days is not enough. As we have seen in past hurricanes, and in particular Superstorm Sandy, the rebuilding process can take months or years before individuals can see a semblance of normal life. Puerto Rico needs more than 10 days and the waiver should be extended.”