Congress has allocated $42.5 billion to disaster relief for Puerto Rico, according to federal data, but the island had received less than $14 billion through May. Trump signed another aid bill in June that will send an additional $1 billion to the island. The bulk of aid dollars is still in Washington, much of it waiting on processes that require officials to submit a series of plans outlining how they expect to use the money and await federal approval.

What's more, the aid Puerto Rico received is a fraction of what it needs — Hurricane Maria inflicted an estimated $90 billion in damage on the island.

The island will receive additional funds from the Federal Emergency Management Agency; The Washington Post reported that an Office of Management and Budget estimate of the possible liabilities over the life of the disaster could reach as high as $50 billion under the Stafford Act, though the estimate is expected to change and that number would take many years to reach.