Congress passed a $ 1.9 trillion stimulus package that includes measures to alleviate poverty in Puerto Rico and $ 900 million in increased food assistance through the Nutrition Assistance Program. The US territory suffers from a child poverty rate of nearly 60% and the Coronavirus Rescue Program is funding the Puerto Rico Child Tax Credit to benefit 355,000 low-income families.

“Devastated by the pandemic, the debt crisis, high rates of child poverty and natural disasters, Puerto Rico needs the help of the stimulus package,” said Eric LeCompte, executive director of the religious development group Jubilee USA Network.

The legislation extends the earned income tax credit for working poor families on the island.

Last month, 20 U.S. and Puerto Rican religious leaders sent a letter to Congress and President Biden calling for stimulus packages to include job creation, disaster relief, food aid and anti-tax measures. poverty for the territory.

“Beyond the stimulus aid, Puerto Rico needs more disaster relief,” LeCompte said. “The Justice Department can unlock more than $ 2 billion in disability assistance for the island.”

Under the Trump administration, the Department of Justice (DOJ) appealed to the Supreme Court to block a lower court ruling that approved $ 2.3 billion in annual disability benefits from the Supplemental Security Income for 300,000 people in Puerto Rico. The letter from the religious leader called on the Biden administration to order the DOJ to withdraw the case to allow aid for people with disabilities to reach the island.

Read Puerto Rico’s Letter to President Biden and the 20 Signatory Religious Leaders from Puerto Rico and the United States in English and Spanish here.