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Nearly a year after the hurricanes that ravaged Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands, more than a dozen Democrats have visited the territories this week to realize their efforts to recover from damage caused by storms.
U.S. Jim McGovern, D-Worcester, joins 15 House colleagues for the three-day trip, which aims to highlight the struggles that continue to hit Puerto Rico and US Virgin Islands residents 10 months later. the arrival of storms.
The delegation, led by Nancy Pelosi, Democratic House leader, met with Puerto Rican Governor Ricardo Rossello, representatives of the Federal Emergency Management Agency and locals to learn additional measures Congress can take to help the Americans recover.
Thank You #PuertoRico Governor @ricardorossello for inviting us to discuss recovery efforts with you! pic.twitter.com/v6ebRzbkYv
– Jim McGovern (@RepMcGovern) July 27, 2018
Lawmakers arrived in Puerto Rico on Thursday and are expected to stop on Saturday in the US Virgin Islands back at home to their respective legislative districts.
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McGovern, a Worcester Democrat who criticized the response of the US government. Trump administration to hurricanes. of an effort to ensure that Congress does not lose sight of the territories.
"I continue to believe that what happened here and what continues to exist here should be in the consciousness of everyone in Washington," he said at the time. 39, a telephone interview. "We have to do better here, we try to have some ideas … and I think we have some good ideas with which we will come back and try to act."
The Congressman For example, he would like lawmakers to consider solar energy as a possible solution to the problems of Puerto Rico's power grid.
McGovern adds that he would like Congress to treat residents of the territories as those living in the states of the continental United States – particularly in matters of health care and credit policies. 39; tax.
"I think one thing I'm learning here is that some of the problems that have been highlighted as a result of hurricanes that," he says. "And the mainland and Washington have a lot to do with a lot of dysfunction here, we need to move away from this colonial mentality and allow people on the island to determine a better future."
McGovern was the only Massachusetts legislator to take part in the weekend trip, which marked his second in Puerto Rico after hurricanes last year.
The Democrat said he planned to meet voters from the Worcester area on Sunday to discuss his visit to the territories.
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Congressman joined several other members of the Massachusetts delegation in January to investigate the damage. watch the recovery efforts.
Pelosi, in announcing this week's visit, said the Democrats had planned to "listen, learn and shed light on this crisis."
"The suffering endured by our fellow Americans in the months following hurricanes has been a challenge to the conscience of our nation," she said in a statement. "We must do better to prevent the loss of life, speed up recovery, and prepare for the next storm."
Joining McGovern and Pelosi for the trip were: American Reps Luis Gutierrez, D-Illinois; Nydia Velazquez, D-New York; Sheila Jackson-Lee, D-Texas; Gregory Meeks, D-New York; Betty McCollum, D-Minnesota; Terri Sewell, D-Alabama; Michelle Lujan Grisham, D-New Mexico; Raul Ruiz, California; Robin Kelly, D-Illinois; Stacey Plaskett, Virgin Islands of the D; Dwight Evans, D-Pennsylvania; Val Demings, D-Florida; Adriano Espaillat, D-New York.
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