Congress could help Puerto Rico. What's stopping it?

Marisol LeBrón

... One of the greatest factors shaping the recovery efforts will be the Fiscal Control Board installed by the federal government as part of the Promesa Act, which oversees Puerto Rico’s finances. The imposition of the Fiscal Control Board, or Junta, means that the local government is hamstrung in terms of its ability to allocate and disperse funds for disaster relief.

While the Junta has authorized $1bn to go towards emergency relief efforts, this number is nowhere near the amount it will take for Puerto Ricans to rebuild. All decisions regarding how Puerto Rico’s infrastructure will be rebuilt will have to be made in consultation with and approved by the Junta, which, ultimately, is in place to make sure Puerto Rico’s debt is serviced.

There is fear that the Junta will only allow funds to go towards recovery efforts that allow bondholders to be paid back. Members of the Junta have already been promoting the privatization of Puerto Rico’s infrastructure for some time now, especially its electrical utility company, Prepa, and many feel that the deadly blow dealt by Maria could facilitate privatization efforts that many Puerto Ricans oppose ...

https://www.theguardian.com/world/commentisfree/2017/sep/27/puerto-rico-debt-recovery