U.S : After the hurricane MARIA, PUERTO-RICO IS SUFFERING, Congress needs to act quickly! !!

Andrea Zayas and Irene Baigorri just 

started a petition to Congress telling 

them to:

Grant Immediate Emergency Aid to 

Puerto Rico and Eliminate Cost-Sharing

for FEMA Aid

Sign now Dear friend, I just started a petition to Grant Immediate Emergency Aid  to Puerto Rico and Eliminate Cost-Sharing for FEMA Aid. Hurricane Maria struck Puerto Rico on September 20, 2017  making it the fourth most devastating storm to strike on  United States territory in history. This island territory is  facing months of rebuilding in order to repair their basic  infrastructure. Instead of pledging to send immediate aid  Trump made sure to insult the island after ignoring the crisis  for days. Puerto Ricans are citizens and must be extended  equal aid and support as mainland citizens in the face of  catastrophe. Tell Congress to act now to step up where  Trump has failed and offer unconditional aid to Puerto Rico ! Sign our petition and tell Congress they need to send aid to  Puerto Rico. Just prior to Maria, the island declared bankruptcy and faces  the largest municipal debt crisis in US history since Detroit,  but because of its Commonwealth status, other US  municipalities, it was denied debt absolution. Specifically,  Puerto Rico's government owes $74 billion to bondholders, and  an additional $50 billion in pension obligations to teachers and  almost all other government employees. Since Puerto Rico is not  sovereign and cannot restructure with the World Bank or IMF  this small island has no chance at correcting the generational  economic crisis it is in. Our legislators need to reprioritize  the needs of this island territory, home to 3.5 million  Americans and absolve the debt. Trump has already tried to  use this debt as a weapon against the people of the island who  are without food, water, and electricity. Puerto Rico is now in need of aid and our government is  worried about debt, tell Congress to act now! The FEMA cost-sharing requirements currently in place  increase the current debt and economic difficulty that  Puerto Rico carries, and is an unreasonable in light of the  current devastation that Hurricane Maria has delivered.  While the White House has approved federal expenditures to  help Puerto Rico (HQ-17-125) during this critical emergency,  the aid requires cost-sharing. It is a morally and ethically  bankrupt Congress that would allow this type of requirement  to be issued from the Trump White House.When people are  in need we should help them, Puerto Rico is no different.  Instead of making sure a territory that will be without  electricity for months is "paying its fair share" we need  to make sure that people are going to be able to live again. Join us if you want Puerto Rico to receive aid now  without requiring the island to pay first! Also, a minimum one-year waiver of the Jones Act is  necessary to allow foreign-flagged vessels to move fuel  and aid to Puerto Rico. A waiver will ensure that all options  are available to distribute aid to Puerto Rico and keep supplies  moving to people in need. The Jones Act is unduly  burdensome and ultimately needs to be eliminated  altogether but at the least, a one-year waiver will allow  Puerto Rico to recover more quickly. Also before  Hurricane Maria struck many residents were moving from  the island for the mainland United States, leaving it with fewer  people who can handle the rebuilding and development process  are now needed.Restructuring debt, eliminating the  PROMESA act and oversight board as well will allow the  Puerto Rican people to rebuild effectively for the long-haul. Sign now to tell Congress to aid Puerto Rico immediately Thank you, Andrea Zayas and Irene Baigorri Sign now Color Of Change is building a movement to  elevate the voices of Black folks and our  allies, and win real social and political  change. Help keep our movement strong.