S.O.S.

Puerto Rico Warns of ‘Total Shutdown’ If Congress Doesn’t Send Money

Treasurer warns of dwindling funds to keep operations going.

Puerto Rico’s treasury secretary warned Wednesday that the island territory will have a “total shutdown” of hurricane-recovery efforts if Congress doesn’t provide billions of dollars in emergency funds by the end of the month. Treasury Secretary Raul Maldonado said $1.6 billion the Puerto Rican government had available before Hurricane Maria hit two weeks ago is rapidly dwindling amid recovery work. “I don’t have any collections, and we are spending a lot of money providing direct assistance for the emergency,” Maldonado was cited as saying by Bloomberg News. While President Trump has repeatedly complained about the island’s $74 billion debt, Puerto Rican authorities are reportedly more worried about how they will get funds for fuel, pay for recovery workers, and food aid for residents.