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September 18, 2026

Nine Years After María, Hernández, Thompson and Pou Introduce Bill to Give Puerto Rico More Time to Finish Reconstruction

Hernandez’s legislation would provide Puerto Rico until 2035 to complete eligible disaster recovery projects and require FEMA to report on obstacles and timelines.

(WASHINGTON) - As Puerto Rico approaches the ninth anniversary of Hurricane María, Resident Commissioner Pablo José Hernández of Puerto Rico alongside House Homeland Security Committee Ranking Member Bennie Thompson (MS-02) and Representative Nellie Pou (NJ-09) introduced H.R. 10441 - Puerto Rico Disaster Recovery Completion Act of 2026 to give Puerto Rico until 2035 to complete eligible FEMA-funded recovery projects and prevent federal deadlines from standing in the way of finishing the reconstruction.

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“Nine years after María, Puerto Rico should be talking about a reconstruction completed, not deadlines that could get in the way of finishing it,” said Resident Commissioner Hernández. “Our communities have waited long enough. This bill gives Puerto Rico the time to finish the work while making sure FEMA remains accountable for getting these projects across the finish line.”

“Without question, Puerto Rico should be given all the tools it needs to be able to rebuild after Hurricane María, a devastating disaster that the Trump administration mismanaged from the very beginning. Puerto Rico’s recovery should not be hindered by deadlines and red tape that get in the way of finishing the island’s recovery,” added Ranking Member Thompson. “Puerto Rico should have the time it needs to fully rebuild, and I thank Resident Commissioner Hernández for introducing this legislation.”

“As one of the few Puerto Rican members of Congress, I take our responsibility to the island and its people very seriously. This legislation will give our fellow Americans the time and flexibility they need to make themselves whole,” said Congresswoman Pou. “Right now, in 2026, families are relying on carrying water from wells to drink and wash their clothes. The power grid remains in dire shape. Our federal government must give Puerto Ricans all of the tools and time they need to become whole again. This bill is a key start.”

“In Mayagüez, we have experienced firsthand how complex it has been to move reconstruction projects forward. There are permitting processes, reviews, contracting requirements, and other steps that require coordination with different agencies and are not always within the municipalities’ control. Giving Puerto Rico until 2035 would allow us to complete projects that already have funding allocated, without sacrificing oversight or federal requirements. That is why I support this measure and the Resident Commissioner’s efforts to ensure that we can finish the reconstruction our people still need,” said Jorge Luis Ramos Ruiz, Mayor of Mayagüez.

BACKGROUND

Ahead of the ninth anniversary of Hurricane María, Puerto Rico’s reconstruction remains unfinished. As of September 30, 2025, COR3 reported 19,202 active María recovery projects that had been obligated but had not yet reached closeout, underscoring the scale of work still underway nearly a decade after the storm. COR3 has pointed to complex federal requirements, permitting and environmental reviews, workforce and supply-chain limitations, and coordination challenges as continuing bottlenecks slowing projects from obligation to completion.

Those challenges were front and center this summer when Hernández, Thompson and Pou traveled to Puerto Rico as part of a House Homeland Security Committee delegation, where they met with FEMA officials, mayors and local leaders and visited projects such as Francisco Morales High School in Naranjito, where permanent reconstruction did not begin until years after María.

Puerto Rico still has FEMA-funded reconstruction projects that remain unfinished, but those projects do not share a single common deadline. Each project has its own completion timeline, and when it cannot be finished on time, the government must request an extension from FEMA on a project-by-project basis.

The Puerto Rico Disaster Recovery Completion Act of 2026 responds directly to those concerns by extending the period of performance and project completion deadline for covered FEMA disaster recovery projects in Puerto Rico through December 31, 2035, giving eligible projects more time to be completed while requiring FEMA to account for what remains unfinished, what is causing delays and when those projects are expected to be finished.

The legislation would:

  • Extend the completion deadline to December 31, 2035 for eligible FEMA permanent-work projects that have not yet been closed out;
  • Allow additional extensions after 2035 through FEMA’s existing extension process when more time is necessary;
  • Cover eligible projects stemming from Hurricanes Irma and María, the 2019-2020 earthquakes and Hurricane Fiona; and
  • Require FEMA, in consultation with COR3, to report annually to Congress and the Resident Commissioner on the number of projects completed, expected completion dates for projects still underway and obstacles delaying their completion.

The reporting requirement would remain in place through December 31, 2035, providing Congress with an annual accounting of the progress of covered recovery projects in Puerto Rico.

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Press Contact

Anthony Camacho - anthony.camacho@mail.house.gov  
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