Hilda Colon wakes up after sleeping in a shelter set up at the Pedrin Zorrilla coliseum, after Hurricane Maria destroyed the region in San Juan, Puerto Rico. (Photo: Carlos Garcia Rawlins / Reuters)
WASHINGTON ― All Democrats on the House Natural Resources Committee are asking the chairman to hold an oversight hearing on the Trump administration’s response to the humanitarian crisis unfolding in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands after Hurricane Maria.
“Our members are often looked to for answers regarding the federal government’s efforts to assist the people of the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico in securing the help they need in this time of crisis,” reads a Friday letter to chairman Rep. Rob Bishop (R-Utah). “Accordingly, it is appropriate that we exercise our authority in this regard, to hear from officials of the Trump administration, in a hearing, on the sufficiency of their efforts.”
Here’s the full letter, signed by 15 Democrats:
Their request comes at a time when Puerto Ricans are pleading for more help as the days roll by without access to clean drinking water, food, power or medicine. It’s been more than a week since the hurricane decimated the island last Wednesday, yet most of the 3.4 million Americans who live there still don’t have vital resources.
FEMA and the Coast Guard have been providing some crucial aid, but there’s a growing sense that the Trump administration’s efforts are falling short ― and that the death toll could rise. At least 13 people have died so far.
“I am going to do what I never thought I was going to do. I am begging, begging anyone that can hear us to save us from dying,” San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz, visibly exasperated, said Friday. “We are dying, and you are killing us with the inefficiency and the bureaucracy.”
Bishop spokesman Parish Braden said it’s possible the committee will hold an oversight hearing, but right now Bishop is focused on holding a “member forum” next week to discuss potential legislative actions that could reinforce rescue and recovery efforts.
“In Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, the situation remains particularly dire as flooding, downed infrastructure and power outages impede food and water from reaching large populations,” Bishop said in a statement. “This forum is a starting point as we evaluate policies and programs within our jurisdiction to support emergency response, help mitigate the loss of human life and hasten the path to recovery.”
Braden got testy when asked if Bishop was open to holding the kind of oversight hearing Democrats requested in their letter, specifically on the administration’s response to the crisis.
“I don’t care about the letter. I saw it a couple of days ago,” he said. ”We’re probably not going to hold an oversight hearing as requested right now.”
Maria Lopez cries while walking from her house that was flooded after the passage of Hurricane Maria, in Toa Baja, Puerto Rico, on September 22, 2017. Puerto Rico battled dangerous floods Friday after Hurricane Maria ravaged the island, as rescuers raced against time to reach residents trapped in their homes and the death toll climbed to 33. Puerto Rico Governor Ricardo Rossello called Maria the most devastating storm in a century after it destroyed the US territory's electricity and telecommunications infrastructure. / AFP PHOTO / HECTOR RETAMAL (Photo credit should read HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP/Getty Images)
Loiza, PUERTO RICO SEPTEMBER 22: Aerial photo of the floadings in the costal town of Loiza, in the north shore of Puerto RicoHurricane Maria passed through Puerto Rico leaving behind a path of destruction across the national territory. (Photo by Dennis M. Rivera Pichardo for The Washington Post via Getty Images)
HAYALES DE COAMO, PUERTO RICO - SEPTEMBER 24: Karlian Mercado, 7, rests on the rubble that remains of her family's home after it was blown away by Hurricane Maria as it passed through the area on September 24, 2017 in Hayales de Coamo, Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico experienced widespread damage after Hurricane Maria, a category 4 hurricane, passed through. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
Irma Torres poses for a picture at her damaged house after the area was hit by Hurricane Maria in Yabucoa, Puerto Rico September 22, 2017. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins
Local residents react while they look at the water flowing over the road at the dam of the Guajataca lake after the area was hit by Hurricane Maria in Guajataca, Puerto Rico September 23, 2017. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins
A man looks at damages on his flooded house, close to the dam of the Guajataca lake after the area was hit by Hurricane Maria in Guajataca, Puerto Rico September 23, 2017. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins
A man sits in a wheelchair next to washing machines at a shelter after the area was hit by Hurricane Maria, in San Juan, Puerto Rico September 22, 2017. Picture taken September 22, 2017. REUTERS/Alvin Baez
LOIZA, PUERTO RICO - SEPTEMBER 22: A resident wades through flood water days after Hurricane Maria made landfall, on September 22, 2017 in Loiza, Puerto Rico. Many on the island have lost power, running water, and cell phone service after Hurricane Maria, a category 4 hurricane, passed through. (Photo by Alex Wroblewski/Getty Images)
People stay at the roof of a damaged house after the area was hit by Hurricane Maria in Yabucoa, Puerto Rico September 22, 2017. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
PUERTO RICO SEPTEMBER 23: A devastated house in Morovis Puerto Rico. Hurricane Maria passed through Puerto Rico leaving behind a path of destruction across the national territory. (Photo by Dennis M. Rivera Pichardo for The Washington Post via Getty Images)
SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO - SEPTEMBER 22: Residents line up for gasoline days after Hurricane Maria made landfall, on September 22, 2017 in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Many on the island have lost power, running water, and cell phone service after Hurricane Maria, a category 4 hurricane, passed through. (Photo by Alex Wroblewski/Getty Images)
A car submerged in flood waters is seen close to the dam of the Guajataca lake after the area was hit by Hurricane Maria in Guajataca, Puerto Rico September 23, 2017. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
A resident lay on a cot inside a shelter after being evacuated from a home near the damaged Guajataca Dam after Hurricane Maria in Isabella, Puerto Rico, on Saturday, Sept. 23, 2017. Amid their struggles to recover from�Hurricane�Maria, some Puerto Rico residents found it befuddling that President Donald Trump fired off a number of Twitter rants about professional athletes on Saturday -- yet made no mention of their dire situation. Photographer: Alex Wroblewski/Bloomberg via Getty Images
People stop on a highway near a mobile phone antenna tower to check for mobile phone signal, after the area was hit by Hurricane Maria, in Dorado, Puerto Rico September 22, 2017. Picture taken September 22, 2017. REUTERS/Alvin Baez
A dead horse is seen next to a road after the area was hit by Hurricane Maria in Quebradillas, Puerto Rico September 23, 2017. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins
An aerial view shows the flooded neighbourhood of Juana Matos in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria in Catano, Puerto Rico, on September 22, 2017. Puerto Rico battled dangerous floods Friday after Hurricane Maria ravaged the island, as rescuers raced against time to reach residents trapped in their homes and the death toll climbed to 33. Puerto Rico Governor Ricardo Rossello called Maria the most devastating storm in a century after it destroyed the US territory's electricity and telecommunications infrastructure. / AFP PHOTO / Ricardo ARDUENGO (Photo credit should read RICARDO ARDUENGO/AFP/Getty Images)
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