In Washington, officials scrambled to show their commitment to the hurricane-battered island as Democrats, and some Republicans, pressed them to do more. President Trump announced that he would visit Puerto Rico and the United States Virgin Islands next Tuesday to reassure residents that the federal government was mobilizing to help rebuild.
“Both have been devastated — and I mean absolutely devastated — by Hurricane Maria,” he said. “And we’re doing everything in our power to help the hard-hit people of both places.”
One step Mr. Trump took on Tuesday was to waive a requirement that would have forced Puerto Rico, which is essentially bankrupt, to contribute money to the federal emergency fund.
Gov. Ricardo Rosselló of Puerto Rico praised Mr. Trump in an interview on Tuesday, saying he had spoken with him five times and had taken part in the Situation Room briefing. “He has been acting proactively,” Mr. Rosselló said, adding that the president declared Puerto Rico a disaster zone as the storm was smashing into the island. But, “we still need more, and the president understands that and his team understands that.”
