The comments come amid reports of President Trump's desire to limit further aid to the island.
An aerial view of the Amelia neighborhood east of San Juan, Puerto Rico, in June 2018.
His remarks come as a bipartisan group of lawmakers is looking into broader delays in the spending of federal aid for a number of regions struck by natural disasters, including Texas and Florida. On Monday, the Government Accountability Office published a report finding that the federal government has been “slow” to get block grants to areas struck by disasters.
Trump has repeatedly told aides that he wants to limit how much money the island gets — particularly on disaster spending. Current and former aides said the president derided Puerto Rico, telling Mick Mulvaney — his onetime director of the Office of Management and Budget and now his chief of staff — to limit spending there.
Waters on Tuesday asked Kirkland to specify how the inspector general’s investigation is framed — whether it is considering the possibility of White House interference or simply “looking at HUD and its inability to do its job.” On Jan. 17, Reps. Nydia M. Velázquez , Bennie Thompson and Raul Grijalva sent a letter to the HUD inspector general asking if the Office of Management and Budget or any other White House office “directed HUD to unduly withhold or otherwise hinder” disaster relief block grants intended for Puerto Rico.
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