Committee on Natural Resources Dems Demand Hearing on Trump’s Hurricane Response in PR, USVI

By Kenrya Rankin Oct 02, 2017

Congress’ House Committee on Natural Resources is charged with considering legislation that impacts “American energy production, mineral lands and mining, fisheries and wildlife, public lands, oceans, Native Americans, irrigation and reclaimation."

On Friday (September 29), most of the Democrats on the committee added a task to their to-do list: calling for an oversight hearing to examine President Donald Trump and his administration’s actions regarding post-hurricane relief efforts in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

From the letter, which appears below:

Because the Natural Resources Committee has broad jurisdiction over all matters regarding the insular areas of the United States, 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 security the help they need in this time of crisis. 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 to respond to the crises in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.

 

As of press time, there is no word of a hearing on the committee’s schedule. The day before the letter was submitted (September 28), committee chair Rob Bishop (R-UT) announced a member forum for Wednesday (October 4) to explore potential legislative actions that the committee can pursue to “reinforce ongoing rescue and recovery efforts.”