New York Democrats on Capitol Hill are demanding a fix to Puerto Rico’s power grid once and for all after Hurricane Fiona illustrated again the shortfalls of the current system.

“The situation is a disaster. Enough is enough,” Sen. Chuck Schumer said Tuesday at a press event outside the U.S. Capitol.

“The denial of an affordable and reliable electric grid to Puerto Rico is colonialism at its cruelest,” Bronx Rep. Ritchie Torres said.

What You Need To Know

  • Puerto Rico's power grid was already struggling before Fiona arrived over the weekend, sparking a blackout

  • New York Democrats on Capitol Hill are demanding a fix to Puerto Rico’s power grid once and for all.

  • Rep. Nydia Velazquez and others are also pushing for a supplemental aid package, with recovery assistance for the island

The island’s power grid was already struggling before Fiona arrived over the weekend, sparking a blackout. The storm came almost five years to the day after Hurricane Maria wreaked its own havoc there.

While roughly $12 billion in federal funding has been allocated to improve the system in the years since Maria, work is slow going.

Democrats like Rep. Nydia Velázquez, who made history as the first Puerto Rican woman elected to the U.S. House, accuse the Trump administration of slow-rolling the distribution of funds to the island.

“This is a compounding disaster. Puerto Rico hasn’t fully recovered from Maria, hasn’t rebuilt the power grid,” Velázquez said in an interview.

Luma, a private entity, was recently brought in to take over the transmission of electricity on the island.

The company insists they have made some progress on updating the system, despite massive hurdles. However, they have earned plenty of critics, including becoming the subject of frequent protests.

Torres argues President Joe Biden should lean on federal agencies, mobilizing them to speed up the system upgrades in Puerto Rico.

“One institution that does have the capacity is the federal government. We have the tools to expedite the rebuilding of the electric grid,” he said. “What is desperately needed now more than ever is the political will.”

While pushing for a solution to the grid problems, Velázquez said she is also going to be requesting a supplemental spending bill with hurricane recovery aid for the island. The price tag for that request will depend on damage assessments conducted over the coming days.