'Dammit -- people are dying here': Furious San Juan mayor shreds White House response to Puerto Rico crisis
Appearing on CNN's New Day Friday morning, a furious and emotional mayor of San Juan, Puerto Rico, lashed out at the White House for congratulating itself on the job it is doing with the post-hurricane humanitarian crisis, saying people are dying while White House officials are already patting themselves on the back.
Speaking with host Alisyn Camerota, Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz blistered the White House over what it called a "good news story."
After viewing a clip of acting secretary of Homeland Security Elaine Duke telling reporters this was "a good news story," Cruz became increasingly furious as she explained the situation on the ground on Puerto Rico.
"Well, maybe from where she's standing it's a good news story," Cruz began. "When you are drinking from a creek, it's not a good news story. When you don't have food for a baby, it's not a good news story. When you have to pull people -- I'm sorry, but that really upsets me and frustrates me."
"I would ask her to come down here and visit the towns, and frankly it's an irresponsible statement and contrasts with the statements of support that I have been getting since yesterday when I got that call from the White House. This is -- dammit, this is not a good news story. This is a people are dying story. This is a life or death story. This is -- there's a truck load of stuff that cannot be taken to people story. This is a story of a devastation that continues to worsen because people are not getting food and water," she explained.
"If I could scream it a lot more louder," she continued as she began to tear up. " It's not a good news story when people are dying when they don't have dialysis, and when the generators aren't working and the oxygen is not providing for them. Where is there good news here?"
"The good news is we are getting heard. The good news is there's boots on the ground. The good news is people from FEMA have their heart in the right place and the HHS people know what to do," Cruz conceded. "For Heavens sakes, somebody let them do their job. Let them get the food in hands of the people and then talk about good news. When you have people out there dying literally scraping for food, where is the good news?"
Watch the video below via CNN:
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