Senate Republicans reach for deal on disaster aid amid ongoing dispute over Puerto Rico

By Erica Werner April 30 at 7:45 PM

Senate Republicans on Tuesday proposed giving Puerto Rico easier access to hurricane relief funds, as part of a new offer to Democrats aimed at breaking a standoff over a massive disaster aid bill.

The GOP offer does not contain new expenditures for Puerto Rico, something President Trump has opposed. But it does aim to free up access to hundreds of millions of dollars Congress has appropriated, money that Puerto Rico has had trouble getting the administration to release.

The offer also includes new oversight and restrictions on the use of the money, something that the White House has pushed for as officials search for a deal that Trump would find acceptable despite his oft-stated reluctance to send additional disaster funds to Puerto Rico.

The president’s stance on Puerto Rico has stalled a $13 billion-plus disaster assistance bill for months, even as states from the West to the Midwest to the South plead for relief in the wake of natural disasters.

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