Nov 13, 2017

Puerto Rico asks federal government for $94 billion in aid

Erica Pandey

A damaged Puerto Rican flag hangs from the facade of a building. Photo: Ramon Espinosa / AP

Puerto Rico's Gov. Ricardo Rossello is asking the federal government for $94.4 billion to fund the recovery process on the island, per AP. The ask includes $46 billion for housing, $30 billion for FEMA to provide critical infrastructure and an additional $17.9 billion under federal grant programs.

The backdrop: Congress has thus far approved $5 billion for aid to Puerto Rico, but Rossello says the recovery will cost far more. The island faced a setback in its recovery Thursday when a main line that provides power to seven cities including San Juan failed, leaving 82% of Puerto Rico without power — compared to 59% earlier last week.

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President Trump said on Saturday he is considering a "short term" quarantine of New York, New Jersey and parts of Connecticut — states that have already taken steps to quarantine residents and promote social distancing.

The big picture: With 112,000 people infected, the U.S. has the most COVID-19 cases in the world, exceeding China and Italy, per data from Johns Hopkins. A second wave of American cities, including Boston, Detroit, New Orleans and Philadelphia, are reporting influxes of cases.

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