Rep. Scott Perry (R-PA) tried to paint the American government's recovery efforts in Puerto Rico as a "success story" on CNN Thursday -- but he was quickly shut down by host Chris Cuomo, who explained that the situation on the ground on the island is far more dire than the Trump administration wants to admit.
Cuomo began the segment by asking Perry if he thought it was appropriate for President Donald Trump to talk openly about abandoning Puerto Rico at a time when more than a third of the country still lacks access to potable water. Perry generally defended the substance of Trump's remarks.
"I think the point the president is making is that FEMA has a finite mission and a finite amount of time to be there to get people back into power and get back into some kind of civilized living condition," he said. "At some point it's up to Puerto Rico to get themselves out of this situation and help their people."
Cuomo, however, wouldn't let him off the hook.
"It seems like it's not the time to be talking about it," he shot back. "There are people starving on the island. It's not a time to talk about their debt structure."
Cuomo then took a shot at Trump for insisting that the three-week-old Puerto Rican recovery effort should be seen as a "success story" when the island is still "in dire need."
"It is a success story," Perry insisted. "You are not on the ground there."
"Where is the success?" Cuomo shot back incredulously. "I was on the ground there. Don't tell me what we know and don't know!"
Watch the video below.
