Trump wants to end federal relief money for Puerto Rico
Source: The Hill
President Trump reportedly wants to end federal relief money for Puerto Rico to aid its recovery from Hurricane Maria, the worst natural disaster on record to affect the island.
Axios reported on Sunday that Trump has told GOP leaders and appropriators he does not want to provide more disaster relief funds to Puerto Rico, claiming without evidence that the money is being misused and mismanaged.
Trump also said he wants to roll back some of the funding Congress has already set aside for Hurricane Maria relief, which he cannot do.
The White House declined to comment for the Axios report and did not immediately respond to The Hill.
The president's reluctance to provide funding stems in part from a misreading of a Wall Street Journal article, Axios reported. The Journal article from October reportedly led him to believe the Puerto Rican government has been using disaster relief money to pay off its debt, though that is not the conclusion of the piece.
A new study commissioned by the Puerto Rican government over the summer estimates Hurricane Maria killed 2,975 people on the island, finding the risk of death was 45 percent higher for "populations living in low socioeconomic development municipalities" and men 65 years or older. Trump without evidence cast doubt on the official death toll of nearly 3,000 while the researchers have stood by their conclusion.
Read more: https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/416168-trump-wants-to-end-federal-relief-money-for-puerto-rico-report
= new reply since forum marked as read
Right. The 116th Congress is sworn in and the "power of the purse" (budget/appropriations) will be controlled by Democrats.
This is an example of "elections have consequences". 
