Reuters / Carlos Barria
President Trump wants to stop giving Puerto Rico federal money for its recovery from Category-5 Hurricane Maria, Axios reports. Unnamed White House officials are said to have told congressional leadership that the president wants to turn off the tap because he believes, without evidence, that the island’s government is using the money to pay down debt. Trump is also reported to have told senior officials that he wants to take back some of the money already given to Puerto Rico. It was reportedly in reaction to a Wall Street Journal piece that said Puerto Rico bond prices soared after reports of more disaster relief coming to the island territory. White House officials told congressional leadership that Trump was angered by the article and that he and “doesn’t want to include additional Puerto Rico funding in further spending bills,” according to an unnamed leadership aide. “He was unhappy with what he believed was mismanagement of money,” the aide said.