Bob CollinsTwo Republican congressmen from Minnesota voted against a hurricane relief package for Puerto Rico on Wednesday. Rep. Tom Emmer’s “no” vote mirrored one he cast against hurricane relief for Texas in September. Rep. Jason Lewis voted for that plan but rejected aid to Puerto Rico.
Some of the money in the $36.5 billion bill will go to Texas, where lawmakers were threatening to vote against the bill, worried that the needs of Puerto Rico and northern California would get more attention.
This is the way politicians work and we often fixate on them for obvious reasons.
Fortunately, many people don’t wait for politicians to do the right thing and they should get a little attention, too.
Take Wade Grenke of Oconto Falls, Wis., a driver for Superior’s Jeff Foster trucking, who has been on the road for a month, the company says on its Facebook page.
He left for Houston in late August, then was sent to Naples for Hurricane Irma, and is now on the ground in Puerto Rico, serving as a filling station.
The company says he’ll likely spend the rest of the year in Puerto Rico. He’ll live in his truck.
Related: What Does Being A U.S. Territory Mean For Puerto Rico? (NPR)
Behind the story of covering Puerto Rico (Boston Globe)
