HUD acknowledges recent shutdown slowed pace of recovery aid to Puerto Rico
The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) acknowledged in a letter to Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass) made public Thursday that the recent partial government shutdown slowed the agency's efforts to provide aid to Puerto Rico as it recovers from Hurricane Maria.
The letter, dated Feb. 11, stated that the “recent lapse in appropriations did impact the pace of the Department’s work,” adding that HUD’s efforts to assist Puerto Rico are ongoing.
“Secretary Carson and the entire Department remain committed to working with Puerto Rico to meaningfully aid its long-term recovery," Len Wolfson, assistant secretary for congressional and intergovernmental affairs, penned in the letter to Warren.
Wolfson said HUD had provided the Puerto Rico Department of Housing, known as Vivienda, with access to $1.5 billion in disaster recovery funding. The agency made its first withdrawal of those funds on Feb. 8, HUD said, roughly two weeks after the government reopened.
https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/430048-hud-acknowledges-recent-shutdown-slowed-pace-of-recovery-aid-to-puerto-rico
