Timothy L. O'Brien, Columnist

Real Puerto Rico Fiasco Starts After Recovery

The electrical grid is being rebuilt. That won't repair the island's fiscal health, jobs picture, schools, hospitals or government.

November 20, 2017 at 4:00 PM UTC

By Timothy L. O'Brien

Timothy L. O'Brien is senior executive editor of Bloomberg Opinion. A former editor and reporter for the New York Times, he is author of “TrumpNation: The Art of Being the Donald.”

It'll take a full day just to fix this.
Photographer: Hector Retamal/AFP/Getty Images

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On Friday, the White House asked Congress, which has already approved $52 billion in hurricane aid, for another $44 billion in disaster relief for Florida and Texas. That was well below the $61 billion in funding Texas alone had requested. Puerto Rico, which asked for $94 billion earlier in the week, wasn’t even part of the White House’s Friday proposal. Republicans and Democrats alike slammed the White House request as inadequate, so Congress could probably be convinced to pony up more money, and include Puerto Rico, next time around.