Ricardo Rossello, the Democratic governor of Puerto Rico, said Friday that President Trump has responded to his requests for help in the aftermath of two hurricanes, which devastated the island.
First, Hurricane Irma clipped the U.S. territory, with the eye passing just north of the island, while Hurricane Maria directly hit Puerto Rico as a Category 4 hurricane.
"I have to say that the administration has responded to our petitions. FEMA, Brock Long, has been on the phone virtually all the time with me, checking out how things are going," said Rossello.
"The different components of the national guard, military, FEMA and our government are working together on the priorities," he added.
Rosello’s comments come after the administration has come under fire by some for not doing enough to help Puerto Rico--or quickly enough.
For example, Lt. Gen. Russel L. Honoré, the former Joint Task Force Katrina Commander, slammed the White House’s positive reports about their response on the island, calling them “bullsh*t.”
“This bureaucratic response is not working. With all due respect to the White House, they’re trying to put lipstick on this pig, but this thing is moving too slow,” he told CNN’s Anderson Cooper.
But Trump on Friday confirmed what Rossello’s said about his administraiton’s response efforts, saying he’s been supportive.
"Puerto Rico Governor Ricardo Rossello just stated: 'The Administration and the President, every time we've spoken, they've delivered,” the president tweeted. "The fact is that Puerto Rico has been destroyed by two hurricanes," he said on Twitter. "Big decisions will have to be made as to the cost of its rebuilding!"
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