Friends,
Because of our advocacy, Senate leadership agreed on a deal for disaster relief for Puerto Rico and other US States and Territories recovering from disaster. The Senate will vote on the disaster deal today!
Your phone calls, petitions and pressure on Congress is working and won a bipartisan compromise on disaster aid.
Now we need you to take two minutes to act.
We moved Senate Republican and Democrat leaders to agree on a $19 billion plan that includes about a billion in relief for Puerto Rico. It takes just two minutes to call your Senators and ask them to vote for debt and disaster relief for Puerto Rico. If you've already called - please call again as the Senate votes today.
If we can pass this legislation in the Senate, because of Jubilee USA's work, we expect the House to support it and President Trump to sign the disaster package into law.
The legislation will include $600 million in disaster food assistance to benefit more than 1.3 million people in Puerto Rico. Another $300 million will support housing rebuilding funds for Puerto Rico. Perhaps most importantly - we have an agreement to expedite the allocation of $8.9 billion of monies Congress already passed for Puerto Rico.
In addition to today's Senate vote, your call to Congress now is especially important as the next phase of Puerto Rico's debt relief will be decided in June. Please make a call to the Senate now. Urge your community, family and friends to make a call for Puerto Rico.
Since 2014, Jubilee USA focused on Puerto Rico. In 2015, we began work with our partners on the island who led the call for relieving debt, eliminating child poverty and stopping austerity. Jubilee USA members, congregations and faith communities generated tens of thousands of messages to Congress since Hurricanes Maria and Irma decimated Puerto Rico. Together, we've won $50 billion in relief aid for Puerto Rico, we've moved forward a debt relief process and united Republicans and Democrats to agree that Puerto Rico needs to rebuild to withstand future storms.
Less than $15 billion of what we've won reached Puerto Rico. Your call to your Senators today helps distribute the relief we've won as we work to win another $70 billion in rebuilding funds for Puerto Rico.
Together we've achieved so much. Your call to your Senators today will make it possible for us to win more.
Gratefully,
Kate
Kate Zeller
Campaigns Director