Mayors: New FEMA policy could deter reconstruction, jeopardize towns’ financial stability

“This policy severely impacts Puerto Rico, given the urgent needs of our communities,” said Mayors Association President Jorge González Otero, second from left.

By The Star Staff

A new policy from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security threatens to undermine Puerto Rico’s reconstruction efforts and jeopardize the financial stability of municipalities, Mayors Association President Jorge González Otero warned on Tuesday.

The policy mandates that Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem must personally approve any Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) purchase, contract, or grant exceeding $100,000, a requirement that the Mayors Association contends is both excessive and misguided.

“This policy severely impacts Puerto Rico, given the urgent needs of our communities,” González Otero said in a written statement. “It’s not merely an administrative hurdle; it could halt critical projects, delay contractor payments, and jeopardize the reconstruction we have worked tirelessly to achieve following Hurricanes Irma and María.”

The Mayors Association, which is made up of mayors from the Popular Democratic Party, is unequivocally concerned that delays in federal funds could lead to lost financing from missed deadlines. Furthermore, delays in payments throughout various construction phases could escalate project costs and have a detrimental effect on the local economy. That in turn may lead to job losses, diminished contractor activity, and decreased municipal revenue from construction taxes, the mayors contend.

“Every day of delay in disbursement could mean a school remains unrepaired or a family continues to live under an unsafe roof,” González Otero asserted. “Puerto Rico cannot afford to let bureaucratic decisions in Washington obstruct its progress.”

The municipal organization fully supports the demand made by Resident Commissioner Pablo José Hernández Rivera and other members of Congress calling on FEMA and the Department of Homeland Security to immediately reconsider the directive. They are insisting on the suspension of the policy and the establishment of a streamlined, transparent process that fosters direct communication with local governments -- those that function as the frontline in emergency response.