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Dems bash Trump for NFL focus as Puerto Rico reels | TheHill

posted onSeptember 26, 2017
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Article snippet: Democrats are lashing out at President Trump for focusing on sports protests at a time when Puerto Ricans, overwhelmed by a pair of hurricanes, are desperate for federal help.  Trump in recent days has trained his Twitter feed almost exclusively on protests by NFL players, suggesting team owners should fire anyone who refuses to stand for the national anthem. “Rather than worrying about football players protesting the national anthem, the president needs to focus on ensuring maximum federal resources are being used to assist American citizens in Puerto Rico who are reeling from Maria,” Rep. Nydia Velázquez (D-N.Y.) told The Hill.  “Times of crisis demand effective leadership and I can only hope the president lives up to that responsibility.” Rep. Adriano Espaillat (D-N.Y.) piled on, decrying Trump’s focus on protesting athletes while “not bother[ing] to lend a minuscule amount of support” for the storm victims.  “The disaster relief funding that Congress has appropriated is not nearly enough to provide relief following the devastation,” he said.  The Trump administration has repeatedly stressed that it will get federal aid to Puerto Rico. Last week, as Maria barreled down on the island, Trump tweeted in solidarity with Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rosselló. And the administration on Monday sent two top officials — Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Brock Long and homeland security adviser Tom Bossert — to the island to assess the damage. White House p... Link to the full article to read more

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