CNN "State of the Union" interviews during 2018: on Technology

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez: Systemic neglect in Puerto Rico: Full FEMA resources needed

OCASIO-CORTEZ: There is a systemic issue here. And that is the modern-day colonial relationship: Puerto Ricans are technically American citizens, but they are treated in completely different ways as normal American citizens are. And, for that reason, you do have the chronic neglect of the island. And it is acute situations like this in which Puerto Ricans continue to be treated like second-class citizens. Puerto Rico was given a fraction of the FEMA recovery as Houston, for example, in Hurricane Harvey. And this is not just an issue of the colonial status of Puerto Rico, but it is also an issue of us not treating and dedicating enough resources to addressing climate change enough either.