WASHINGTON — Democrats on the House Oversight Committee are seeking documents from the Trump administration. The panel is renewing an inquiry into the “abominable” U.S. response to deadly 2017 hurricanes in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Maryland Rep. Elijah Cummings, who chairs the oversight panel, said the administration has been able to evade oversight of its poor response to the hurricanes because Republicans who controlled Congress refused to perform their constitutionally required role. More than 3,000 people died in Hurricanes Maria and Irma, which caused massive power outages and more than $100 billion in damages.
Cummings said the White House ignored his earlier requests for documents related to the storms, while House Republicans blocked a credible, bipartisan investigation of the administration’s actions to prepare for and respond to the hurricanes.
