A waiver enabling foreign ships to deliver supplies to storm-ravaged Puerto Rico has expired and will not be renewed, it was confirmed on Monday, dealing a fresh blow to the US territory as it struggles to deal with the aftermath of Hurricane Maria.



In the wake of the hurricane, millions of Americans have been without access to clean water, electricity, fuel and medicines. Donald Trump, who initially came under fire for being slow in his response to the crisis in Puerto Rico, temporarily waived the Jones Act – a 1920 law stating that all goods sent between US ports be carried on ships built, owned and operated by the US – on 28 September.

But the Department of Homeland Security confirmed that the waiver expired on Sunday and would not be extended “at this time”, meaning Puerto Rico will once more be subject to restrictions under the act.

Experts have said the Jones Act has resulted in high tariffs on foreign ships delivering goods to Puerto Rico, doubling the price of consumer goods when compared with neighboring islands that are not subject to the law.



Trump’s decision to temporarily waive the law, which came amid mounting pressure from local officials in Puerto Rico and the Arizona senator John McCain, had eased the way for foreign ships to deliver crucial supplies, such as food and gasoline, more expeditiously and at a lower cost.

The White House did not immediately return a request for comment when asked about the waiver’s expiration.

Puerto Rico’s governor, Ricardo Rosselló, said on Monday that much of the island remained without basic utilities. Water supplies have been restored to just 60% of Puerto Rico’s residents, while only 15% of people on the island had electricity, three weeks after the hurricane hit.



The storm’s death toll rose in recent days to 36, with officials cautioning that dozens of bodies had yet to be included in the government’s count.

In a letter to congressional leaders on Monday, Rosselló requested US lawmakers approve roughly $1.4bn in funding to aid recovery efforts. The governor also ordered an investigation into the mishandling of food and water delivery to municipalities amid complaints from some areas that supplies were not being received.

Trump paid a visit to Puerto Rico last week, where he was criticized for throwing paper towels to survivors and claiming the island should be “proud” of having far fewer deaths than Hurricane Katrina. The president defended his tone in an interview with Trinity Broadcasting Network on Saturday, telling the host and former presidential candidate Mike Huckabee: “I was having fun, they were having fun, they said: ‘Throw them to me, throw them to me, Mr President.’

“So the next day they said, ‘Oh, it was so disrespectful to the people.’ It was just a made-up thing and also … when I walked in the cheering was incredible.”

Last week, the Trump administration sought a $29bn funding package from Congress that would be allocated toward areas affected by recent hurricanes, including Puerto Rico, Texas and Florida. The money would also go toward fighting devastation caused by wildfires tearing through California.

The House is poised to vote on legislation this week that would meet the request. Some lawmakers, including McCain, have also called on Congress to permanently retire Jones Act restrictions on Puerto Rico. McCain, who has co-sponsored a bill to do so, said Monday the expiration of the waiver made his bill all the more urgent.

“Now that the temporary Jones Act waiver for Puerto Rico has expired, it is more important than ever for Congress to pass my bill to permanently exempt Puerto Rico from this archaic and burdensome law,” McCain said in a statement to HuffPost. “Until we provide Puerto Rico with long-term relief, the Jones Act will continue to hinder much-needed efforts to help the people of Puerto Rico recover and rebuild from Hurricane Maria.”