April 29,2020

Grassley: No Need for Mischaracterization, Just Transparency in Puerto Rico Disaster Aid Work

Washington – Senate Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) made the following comments regarding recent correspondence with Governor Wanda Vazquez Garced of Puerto Rico.
 
“I appreciate the prompt response to my letter to the governor with questions about Puerto Rico’s procurement processes, investigations and health system. Many of the specific questions I raised, based on widespread public reports, were unfortunately not answered. So, I’ll continue to press for transparency on those issues.
 
“The governor’s response contained some serious mischaracterizations of what I wrote. The suggestion that my comments in the letter may be ‘inspired by individuals with a personal agenda who seek to tarnish Puerto Rico’s reputation’ is both unfortunate and untrue. My letter included many questions related to widely reported allegations and not from, as the governor suggests, my own speculation or possible ‘ulterior motives.’ So whether the governor believes these ‘individuals’ are the journalists’ sources, the members of the free press reporting on these questions or other political actors, the best way to disarm bad-faith actors is with fulsome information and transparency, not by eschewing information or pointing to others around the country and refusing to take responsibility.
 
“Let me be clear: my motive is to ensure transparency and efficiency in the allocation of hard-earned taxpayer resources. And the governor, according to her letter, shares that same motive. She should start making good on that commitment.”
 

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