$12.7 billion of $43 billion disbursed for Puerto Rico disaster recovery; $40 billion obligated

U.S. Democratic lawmakers met with Puerto Rico mayors on Friday, June 12, 2026, and pledged to address delays in federal disaster recovery reimbursements and project approvals. Mississippi Rep.

Bennie G. Thompson, ranking member of the House Committee on Homeland Security, said the lawmakers heard concerns during a two-day trip to the territory. “We’ll move some of those concerns into corrective actions,” he said at a news conference.

Pablo José Hernández, Puerto Rico’s representative in Congress, said the mayors traced part of the slowdown to a policy former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem put in place that required her personal approval for all DHS expenditures above $100,000.

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin rescinded that rule in April 2026. ” Thompson said Mullin has promised to restore positions, but the timing remains unclear.

“FEMA’s role is to be here in a time of need when local resources have been overrun,” Thompson said. ” Hurricane Maria struck Puerto Rico in September 2017 as a Category 4 storm, causing an estimated $90 billion in damage and an estimated 2,982 deaths. Hurricane Fiona hit the island again in September 2022 as a Category 1 storm.

A series of strong earthquakes struck southern Puerto Rico in late 2019 and early 2020, producing an estimated $3 billion in damage. 7 billion disbursed, according to Puerto Rico’s Central Office for Recovery, Reconstruction and Resiliency. As of June 2026, some 30 percent of projects remain pending.

Caguas Mayor William Miranda Torres said a backlog of pending projects is increasing costs and extending delays. ” A February 2024 Government Accountability Office audit found that Puerto Rico’s government had spent less than 10 percent of more than $23 billion in available federal funds at that time.