Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz arrives at San Francisco hospital in Rio Piedras area of San Juan, Puerto Rico, Saturday, Sept. 30, 2017, as about 35 patients are evacuated after the failure of an electrical plant.
WASHINGTON — San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz on Wednesday questioned why Republicans abruptly postponed a House hearing where she was scheduled to testify about the devastating impact of .
Cruz, who has about the federal response, suggested the White House did not want to hear her criticism.
“There was a meeting scheduled for today that was canceled as I was getting to Washington,” she said during a news conference with Democratic House members. “It is evident that this administration does not want to listen to the truth and does not want to own up to it.”
The mayor was referring to a hearing about the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s preparedness and response capabilities that was scheduled for Wednesday morning and was supposed to include testimony from both Cruz and FEMA Administrator Brock Long.
Rep. Bennie G. Thompson of Mississippi, the top Democrat on the Homeland Security Committee, who had invited Cruz to testify, told reporters he was given no explanation for the postponement.
“It is inexcusable that the Republicans have delayed this hearing for the third time with no rational reason in a blatant attempt to silence the mayor and shield the Trump administration from another bad news story,” he said.
A committee aide told The Associated Press that Thompson had requested the witness Friday evening, leaving only the weekend to plan for a panel of state and local witnesses.
Gerald Herbert, The Associated Press
Jose Garcia Vicente walks through rubble of his destroyed home, in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, in Aibonito, Puerto Rico, Monday, Sept. 25, 2017. The U.S. ramped up its response Monday to the humanitarian crisis in Puerto Rico while the Trump administration sought to blunt criticism that its response to Hurricane Maria has fallen short of it efforts in Texas and Florida after the recent hurricanes there.
Dennis M. Rivera Pichardo, The Washington Post
A destroyed group of houses in Juncos, Puerto Rico, as seen Friday from the air.
Dennis M. Rivera Pichardo, The Washington Post
Aerial photo of flooding in the costal town of Loiza, on the north shore of Puerto Rico. New estimates say 4,500 died as a result of Hurricane Maria which hit the island in 2017.
Dennis M. Rivera Pichardo, The Washington Post
Aerial view of the devastation at Palma Real Shopping Center in Humacao, a municipality on the east side of Puerto Rico.
Dennis M. Rivera Pichardo, The Washington Post
Puerto Rico is experiencing major flooding in numerous areas, including San Juan, shown in an aerial image Friday.
MC3 Brittany Tobin, U.S. Navy via AP
Boatswain's Mate 3rd Class Taryn Armington and Sonar Technician (Surface) Seaman Darian Joseph prepare to cast off mooring lines for the Military Sealift Command hospital ship USNS Comfort (T-AH 20) as the ship departs Naval Station Norfolk to support hurricane relief efforts in Puerto Rico Friday, Sept. 29, 2017 in Norfolk, Va.. The Department of Defense is supporting the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the lead federal agency, in helping those affected by Hurricane Maria to minimize suffering and is one component of the overall whole-of-government response effort.
Hector Retamal, AFP/Getty Images
Residents of San Juan, Puerto Rico, deal with damages to their homes on Sept. 20, 2017, as Hurricane Maria batters the island.
Maria slammed into Puerto Rico on Wednesday, cutting power on most of the US territory as terrified residents hunkered down in the face of the island's worst storm in living memory. After leaving a deadly trail of destruction on a string of smaller Caribbean islands, Maria made landfall on Puerto Rico's southeast coast around daybreak, packing winds of around 150mph (240kph).
Ricardo Arduengo, AFP/Getty Images
A man gestures as he walks through a debris covered road as Hurricane Maria hits Puerto Rico in Fajardo, on Sept. 20, 2017.
Maria made landfall on Puerto Rico, pummeling the US territory after already killing at least two people on its passage through the Caribbean. The US National Hurricane Center warned of "large and destructive waves" as Maria came ashore near Yabucoa on the southeast coast.
Alex Wroblewski, Getty Images
Felled trees cover the roads in the Miramar neighborhood after Hurricane Maria made landfall on Sept. 20, 2017 in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Thousands of people have sought refuge in shelters, and electricity and phone lines have been severely effected.
Hector Retamal, AFP/Getty Images
Librada is seen at the Roberto Clemente Coliseum refuge in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on Sept. 19, 2017, prior the arrival of Hurricane Maria. She left voluntarily of her house to take refuge.
Maria headed towards the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico after battering the eastern Caribbean island of Dominica, with the US National Hurricane Center warning of a "potentially catastrophic" impact.
A picture taken on September 6, 2017, shows damage in Public, near Gustavia, on the French Caribbean island of Saint-Barthelemy, after it was hit by Hurricane Irma.
At least 25 people have died as Hurricane Irma has pounded the Caribbean: 10 in the French islands of Saint Martin and Saint Barthelemy, six in British overseas territories, four in the US Virgin Islands, two in Puerto Rico and two in the Dutch part of Saint Martin and one in Barbuda. Ravaged by Hurricane Irma, Saint Martin and Saint Barts escaped a further battering by Jose, which had "markedly less" of an impact on the two Caribbean islands than anticipated, France's meteorological agency said on September 10. VALENTINE AUTRUFFE/AFP/Getty Images
Gerald Herbert, The Associated Press
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Jose Garcia Vicente walks through rubble of his destroyed home, in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, in Aibonito, Puerto Rico, Monday, Sept. 25, 2017. The U.S. ramped up its response Monday to the humanitarian crisis in Puerto Rico while the Trump administration sought to blunt criticism that its response to Hurricane Maria has fallen short of it efforts in Texas and Florida after the recent hurricanes there.
The aide, who was not authorized to speak to reporters and spoke on condition of anonymity, said that given the short turnaround time it was not possible to assemble a full second panel of witnesses to reflect areas of the country affected by recent natural disasters.
Cruz reiterated her criticism about the federal response, which she called “inadequate” and “insufficient.”
“The situation is still a life or death situation” a month after Maria hit the island, she said. “Survival cannot be our new way of life.”
Cruz objected to the grade of 10 out of 10 that Trump has given to the federal response to hurricane-ravaged Puerto Rico.
“It really is 10 out of 100. President Trump lives in an alternate reality. While we are feeding our people, he is in Mar-a-Lago playing golf,” she said.
Cruz asked that Congress spare humanitarian aid to Puerto Rico for four years from the Jones Act, a federal law that prohibits foreign-flagged ships from shuttling goods between U.S. ports.
Cruz also said a federal control board that oversees Puerto Rico’s finances has taken $350 million away from municipalities, money that is much needed.
Puerto Rican authorities have estimated that the island suffered an estimated $45 billion to $95 billion in damage. So far, Congress has approved nearly $5 billion in aid for the island.
Cruz plans to meet Wednesday with Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., before returning to San Juan on Thursday morning.
