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2 incidents

Updated March 26, 2018 Rule of Law
Critical Rights and Rule-of-Law Concern

Opioid Crisis: Declared Emergency Without Funding, Commission Recommendations Ignored

The Christie Commission had explicitly recommended declaring a national emergency under the Stafford Act or the Public Health Service Act, which would have freed up billions in emergency funding and allowed waiver of normal bureaucratic requirements. Trump instead declared a 'public health emergency' under a different statute (the Public Health Service Act § 319), which allowed no new money unless Congress appropriated it. Congress had not appropriated it. The declaration was described by public health experts as largely symbolic. Drug overdose deaths continued to rise throughout Trump's term.

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opioidpublic-healthfirst-termemergencydeaths
Updated August 28, 2018 Foreign Policy & War
Critical Rights and Rule-of-Law Concern

Puerto Rico Paper Towels: Trump's Response to 3,000 Deaths — Trophy Moment

Trump visited Puerto Rico nine days after a storm that killed nearly 3,000 people and left the island without power for months — the longest blackout in U.S. history. His visit featured a trophy-style photo op where he tossed paper towels to survivors. He told them their death toll compared favorably to 'a real disaster like Katrina.' Months later, as the official death toll was revised upward toward 3,000, Trump claimed the number was fabricated. Puerto Rico remained without power for 11 months in some areas — the longest blackout in U.S. territory history. FEMA's response was widely criticized as inadequate.

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Puerto-RicoHurricane-Mariapaper-towelsfirst-termdisaster-response