"In the face of the deadliest natural disaster in recent U.S. history, the president and his allies in Congress want to pretend nothing happened here," Sen. Elizabeth Warren said in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on Tuesday. | Carlos Giusti/AP Photo 2020 Elections Warren rips White House over Puerto Rico: ‘The legacy of colonialism dies hard’

Sen. Elizabeth Warren rebuked the Trump administration for its response to Hurricane Maria during a rally in Puerto Rico on Tuesday, committing to combat any diversion of federal funding from disaster relief toward building a border wall.

Speaking in San Juan, the Massachusetts Democrat advocated investigating the federal response to the devastating storm, even calling for the resignation of Federal Emergency Management Agency Director Brock Long. She also advocated a “Marshall Plan” for the territory and an audit of Puerto Rico’s debt, which has mired its government and infrastructure for decades.


"I am here again today to talk about the dignity and respect this island deserves from our government and the cruelty that has been inflicted upon it," said Warren, who announced her bid for the White House by launching an exploratory committee on New Year’s Eve.

The visit was an unusual stop for a presidential candidate this early in the campaign — though Puerto Ricans are U.S. citizens and vote in presidential primaries, the territory has no voting representation in the Electoral College. But the speech provided an opportunity to connect with an important Hispanic constituency, and give voice to the island’s resentment of the Trump administration’s response after Hurricane Maria.

Morning Score newsletter Your guide to the permanent campaign — weekday mornings, in your inbox. Email Sign Up By signing up you agree to receive email newsletters or alerts from POLITICO. You can unsubscribe at any time. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

One week earlier, Julían Castro made his first campaign stop as a presidential candidate in Puerto Rico, where he addressed the Latino Victory Fund and visited hurricane recovery sites with San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz.

While Cruz has blamed the administration’s slow response for many of the deaths in the storm’s aftermath, President Donald Trump openly questioned if the formal death toll is accurate and has characterized the island’s leadership as inefficient with resources and generally inept.

In response to Gov. Ricardo Rosselló’s repeated calls for Puerto Rican statehood, Trump said in an interview with WTAM Radio in Cleveland in September, “With the mayor of San Juan as bad as she is and as incompetent as she is, Puerto Rico shouldn’t be talking about statehood until they get some people that really know what they’re doing,”

During her Tuesday address, Warren advocated a post-9/11-style inquiry into the Trump administration’s response to the storm, which researchers say led to over 2,000 deaths. Warren accused the Trump administration of “waste” and “incompetence,” and barring FEMA workers from the resources necessary to rebuild the island.

"In the face of the deadliest natural disaster in recent U.S. history, the president and his allies in Congress want to pretend nothing happened here," Warren said. “The legacy of colonialism dies hard. I say that it’s time to change that.”

Further fueling anti-Trumpism on the island, Trump mulled a proposal to pull money from disaster relief — some of which is designated for storm damage in Puerto Rico — to finance his wall on the southern border, NBC News reported.

Warren vowed Tuesday to stop such a measure for the wall, which she called “dumb.”

“Puerto Rico has suffered enough. We will not allow anyone to sabotage your recovery, not even the president of the United States,” Warren said.

Warren also touched on long-standing issues on the island, including Puerto Rican statehood and the territory’s economic woes. The senator committed to respecting the choice of Puerto Ricans with its relationship with the United States, including negotiating with Congress concrete proposals for the territory on its status.

Warren also advocated an independent audit of Puerto Rico's debt crisis — the island is buried in over $70 billion in debt, largely held by Wall Street firms. Warren questioned how much of the debt was legally issued, and advocated against austerity measures imposed on the island under the crisis.

Warren further championed a Marshall Plan for Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, as well as a Territorial Relief Act to develop a more sustainable recovery and resolve their debts.

“For over a decade, Puerto Rico has been a clear example of how well the federal government works for Wall Street and poorly it works for everyone else,” Warren said.