WASHINGTON — San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz said after the State of the Union that the Trump administration is abandoning Puerto Rico and the president doesn’t care that Puerto Ricans are still suffering.
“When it comes to Puerto Rico, we’re not even on his radar,” Cruz told The Post.
Cruz attended the State of Union address Tuesday as a guest of Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and had hoped President Trump would pledge to rebuild the island devastated by hurricanes last year. Instead, she came away appalled.
“This man has a total disconnect to what the reality of Puerto Rico is,” Cruz said. “He truly does not care.”
“President Trump is not a good person. And in a very nice way, he bullied the people of Puerto Rico today,” Cruz continued in an interview at the Capitol. “And obviously we’re not going to stand for it.”
The most pressing concern for Cruz is that FEMA is ending its humanitarian mission in Puerto Rico on Wednesday, four months after Hurricane Maria slammed the island. Cruz said the Trump administration is cutting off critical supplies far too soon.
“Tomorrow, food and water supplies are going to be stopped by FEMA, who today proclaimed ‘mission accomplished’ when 35 percent of our population doesn’t have electricity, our children are going to school part-time and half a million homes need to be completely redone,” Cruz said.
Trump’s State of the Union address touted the successes of his first year — the strong economy, military gains against ISIS and passing tax reform. But he made only passing mention of the terrible hurricanes.
“To everyone still recovering in Texas, Florida, Louisiana, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands — everywhere — we are with you, we love you, and we always will pull through together, always,” Trump said.
Cruz believes Trump’s decision to sidestep Puerto Rico in his speech was purposeful.
“We make him look bad, because he cannot do his job,” Cruz said.