{"id":18878,"date":"2022-09-23T17:52:10","date_gmt":"2022-09-23T17:52:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/uaaglobal.com\/a-message-from-gia-on-the-crises-impacting-puerto-rico\/"},"modified":"2022-09-23T17:52:10","modified_gmt":"2022-09-23T17:52:10","slug":"a-message-from-gia-on-the-crises-impacting-puerto-rico","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/uaaglobal.com\/a-message-from-gia-on-the-crises-impacting-puerto-rico\/","title":{"rendered":"A Message from GIA on the Crises Impacting Puerto Rico"},"content":{"rendered":"
Five years after the devastation of Hurricane Maria, Hurricane Fiona has caused catastrophic destruction in Puerto Rico, killing at least two people and leaving nearly the entire island archipelago without power and water. Below you will find opportunities to lend your support to Puerto Rico. <\/p>\n
Post-Maria, the US federal government set aside billions for reconstruction, but communities in Puerto Rico remain vulnerable. Puerto Rico\u2019s vulnerability stems from a combination of factors, including the Fiscal Control Board\u2019s requirement that Puerto Rico privatize its power grid. <\/p>\n
The Fiscal Control Board\u2019s oversight of Puerto Rico\u2019s budget is an element of the Puerto Rico Oversight, Management, and Economic Stability Act (PROMESA). PROMESA is a US federal law enacted in 2016 that established a US financial oversight board for Puerto Rico, a process for restructuring debt the Puerto Rican government owed to corporate creditors. The FCB’s approved fiscal austerity plan for 2017-2026 cut deeply into Puerto Rico’s public service budget, including cuts to health care, pensions, and education, in order to prioritize repaying corporate creditors. <\/p>\n
Puerto Rico\u2019s vulnerability is also rooted in its status as a US territory with no electoral votes for the presidency and no voting representation in Congress. Puerto Rico has an advocate in the U.S. Congress, who has no voting authority. At a Congressional hearing less than a week before Hurricane Fiona, Puerto Rico\u2019s non-voting congressional representative questioned the effectiveness of Puerto Rico\u2019s privatized electric grid, considering its history of poor performance, and whether it should even remain in the hands of a private company. <\/p>\n
Grantmakers in the Arts joins friends across the nation in a call for our federal government to cancel Puerto Rico\u2019s debt, and end private oversight of its budget to ensure that Puerto Rico may recover in the spirit of self-determination. <\/p>\n
Ways To Give in Support of Puerto Rico: <\/p>\n
Mar\u00eda Fund<\/a> Information on Puerto Rico: <\/p>\n Latino Rebels: Hurricane Fiona Batters Puerto Rico Still Recovering 5 Years After Mar\u00eda\u202f<\/a>
\nMar\u00eda Fund\u2019s Fiona Community Response Fund<\/a>
\nTaller Salud<\/a>
\nHispanics in Philanthropy\u2019s Fiona Community Response Fund<\/a>
\nHispanic Federations\u2019 Unidos Disaster Relief & Recovery Program to Support Puerto Rico<\/a>
\nFundaci\u00f3n Comunitaria de Puerto Rico<\/a>
\nFilantrop\u00eda Puerto Rico\u2019s FORWARD Puerto Rico Fund<\/a>
\nFilantrop\u00eda Puerto Rico\u2019s Philanthropic Call to Action Towards a Just & Resilient Puerto Rico<\/a><\/p>\n
\nPolitico: Fiona\u2019s Outages Rekindle Anger Over Puerto Rico\u2019s Privatized Electric Grid<\/a>
\nThe Washington Post: Puerto Rico\u2019s Bankruptcy Is Ending: What Comes Next?<\/a>
\nMSNBC: Puerto Rico\u2019s New Bankruptcy Plan Does Nothing for Most of the Island<\/a>
\nCommon Dreams: Critics Warn Puerto Rico Debt Plan Will Leader to More Austerity<\/a>
\nOpen Society Foundations: The Right Way to Help Rebuild Puerto Rico<\/a>
\nThe Center for Popular Democracy: Organizing for a Just Recovery in Puerto Rico and Beyond<\/a>
\nLatino Rebels: Lin-Manuel Miranda, Others Seek Silver Lining in Puerto Rico<\/a><\/p>\n