Fed up with all the government corruption and incompetence plaguing the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico, President Trump assigned a Coast Guard admiral to seize the ropes and untangle the whole knotted mess. In the wake of recent earthquakes, the citizens can’t wait any longer for their elected officials to do their jobs.
Admiral appointed ‘recovery czar’
President Trump has had it with the incompetent job that Puerto Rico’s government has been doing for far to long, so he called in the Coast Guard. Rear Admiral Peter Brown was appointed “recovery Czar” to “coordinate United States Government efforts to build the infrastructure and resiliency of Puerto Rico.”
Even before Hurricane Maria flooded out their entire power grid and a considerable amount of other crucial infrastructure in 2017, the island’s corrupt government managed to run the U.S. territory billions of dollars into debt. They didn’t even have enough left for decent bankruptcy settlements. Then things got worse.
While the island’s residents struggled to survive without electricity, a warehouse full of the parts needed to repair the power lines were hoarded in the jungle. One official planned to profit from the sale of the equipment on the black market. When power finally did start coming back on, the council’s favorite strip clubs were the first buildings connected.
After the recent earthquakes, the same story developed. Cases of water and emergency supplies were rat-holed in warehouses instead being passed out to the people who desperately needed the provisions.
Government corruption
Last August, Governor Ricardo Rossello was forced out of office by “mass protests sparked by corruption allegations.” Because half the government officials are now under indictments, and the contract award procedure has been defrauded, “authorities have only had access to a fraction of the $48.5 billion in recovery funds that Congress has approved.”
Admiral Brown will act as a “special representative” to oversee the funding of “education, transportation, infrastructure repairs and disaster relief measures.” To accomplish his goals, the Admiral is expected to “work across White House offices, including the Office of Legislative Affairs, the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs, and Office of Management and Budget as he supervises recovery work,” the White House Explains.
His biggest job will be to make sure that Puerto Rico’s officials spend the money the way they’re supposed to. Brown will work with them and Congress “to ensure that their concerns are communicated to the appropriate departments and agencies and to ensure the resources of hardworking taxpayers are effectively used to help the people of Puerto Rico.”
Admiral Brown has already met with the Island’s Governor, Wanda Vazquez. The territory’s representative to Congress, Jenniffer Gonzalez was also present. Prior to this, Brown was assigned as homeland security and counterterrorism adviser after serving as commander of the Seventh Coast Guard District headquartered in Miami. While on that watch, “he was responsible for all Coast Guard operations in the Southeast United States and the Caribbean Basin.”
Brown feels right at home in the position, the White House statement notes, “Brown’s first duty station was in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and he has served more than half his 34-year career in the Caribbean.”
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