The governor of Puerto Rico, Pedro Pierluisi Urrutia, said today, Tuesday, that he denied the arguments of the president of the Popular Democratic Party (PPD), Jesús Manuel Ortiz González, that the federal funds received since 2020 were not used on time and In some cases, they should be returned, “shameful.”
“It is obvious that he is politicizing, because just by entering the portals that are available, the work is clear, it has not been seen before. Since the 90s, so many jobs have not been seen in Puerto Rico. Really, he is speaking to the stands because I can refute him so easily that it would be embarrassing,” said the governor in a press conference.
On Thursday, September 7, Ortiz González pointed out the delay in recovery in Puerto Rico, especially in public schools despite the assigned federal funds. In addition, he highlighted the condition of the classrooms, where the lack of adequate air conditioning facilities and fans has created an unhealthy environment for the students, which is aggravated by the current heat.
Also, along with other popular legislators, he pointed out that the Government lacks empathy and does not understand the real difficulties faced by students because they do not have children in the public education system.
“In the case of the Department of Education, there is no concern, and in the case of the Department of Housing, which is another issue that has arisen, the deadline for disbursement of all available funds from the CDBG-DR (program) is the 2026 , an extension is requested to be done by other states and we hope to add two or three years so that there is no risk of returning,” said Pierluisi.
Another argument against the president is the fact that this morning, the president of the country, announced that he will file a complaint with the Office of Government Ethics (OEG) after the allegation that the statehood delegates violated the law that created the congressional delegation because because they did not file a project to annex the island as a state.
“That allegation is patently false and easily refuted,” the governor said.
In his opinion, if the United States House of Representatives bill, HR 2757, includes statehood as an alternative status, the delegates/lobbyists will fulfill their functions by asking for approval of the measure in Congress.
