FEMA Chief Defends Puerto Rico Response, Swipes at San Juan Mayor and Others ‘Spouting Off’
FEMA Administrator Brock Long defended the response to Puerto Rico as officials like San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz continue to voice criticism in an appearance on Fox News Sunday.
When Fox’s Chris Wallace asked about acting DHS Sec. Elaine Duke calling the response a “really good story,” Long said the following:
“I’m just going to say that I think the secretary’s words are being taken out of context. Look, we’re not going to be satisfied until the situation is stabilized. And the bottom line is, is this is the most logistically challenging event the United States has ever seen and we have been moving and pushing as fast as the situation allows. Every day, we make progress. Every day, we have some setbacks.”
Wallace revisited that comment a bit later and asked, “You say this is the most logistically challenging relief effort ever in the history of this country?”
Long said, “Yeah, absolutely… It’s not only a logistically complex event, just getting to the islands and being able to support an island that was hit not just by one major hurricane but two within basically a 10-day period.”
He also lamented that information is being “misrepresented,” and swiped a bit at Cruz and others for “spout[ing] off”:
“We can choose to look at what the mayor spouts off or what other people spout off, but we can also choose to see what’s actually being done. And that’s what I would ask.”
Watch above, via Fox [editor’s note: a previous version of this post said ABC, the correct network has been added].
[image via screengrab]
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