--- title: How President Trump is Handling Puerto Rico's Crisis description: President Trump announced he will travel to Puerto Rico next week, a visit that comes as officials are calling for a more robust response. canonical: https://time.com/4956966/how-president-trump-is-handling-puerto-ricos-crisis/ author: Zeke Miller article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-09-26T16:34:13.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-08T09:53:43.730Z article:section: Politics og:title: How President Trump is Handling Puerto Rico's Crisis og:description: President Trump announced he will travel to Puerto Rico next week, a visit that comes as officials are calling for a more robust response. og:url: https://time.com/4956966/how-president-trump-is-handling-puerto-ricos-crisis/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb24c27fcf0ec0da8/6986837dcd6848a30809364f/morning-must-reads1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3000 og:image:height: 1688 og:image:alt: Morning Must Reads og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: How President Trump is Handling Puerto Rico's Crisis twitter:description: President Trump announced he will travel to Puerto Rico next week, a visit that comes as officials are calling for a more robust response. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb24c27fcf0ec0da8/6986837dcd6848a30809364f/morning-must-reads1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # How President Trump is Handling Puerto Rico's Crisis > Sponsored content. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, twice a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=b22fd31d-fe13-4306-a0bb-3aca232583d9&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: President Trump and Republicans Are Planning Big Tax Cuts for the Rich and Corporations [Watch (HLS stream): President Trump and Republicans Are Planning Big Tax Cuts for the Rich and Corporations](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/rOEBbcV3.m3u8) (2:21)  _Published 2017-09-26. The White House and congressional Republicans are finalizing a tax plan that would slash the corporate rate while likely reducing the levy for the wealthiest Americans, with President Donald Trump ready to roll out the policy proposal at midweek._ by [Zeke Miller](https://time.com/author/zeke-j-miller/) ## Zeke Miller Sep 26, 2017 4:34 PM UTC The White House and congressional Republicans are finalizing a tax plan that would slash the corporate rate while likely reducing the levy for the wealthiest Americans, with President Donald Trump ready to roll out the policy proposal at midweek. by [Zeke Miller](https://time.com/author/zeke-j-miller/) ## Zeke Miller Sep 26, 2017 4:34 PM UTC President Trump announced he will travel to Puerto Rico next Tuesday—the earliest he could visit the island territory without impeding the ongoing disaster response efforts. It comes as officials on the ground and lawmakers in Washington are calling for a more robust federal commitment, with the Trump Administration taking fire for a perceived lack of focus on the situation. The White House, though, maintains that it is leading an “unprecedented” response to Hurricane Maria, which has left most of the island without power and caused critical shortages of food, water, and fuel. The Administration is formulating an initial damage assessment to present a request for additional congressional aid funding. Republicans are set to roll out their “unified framework” for tax reform Wednesday, with Trump traveling to Indiana to make the announcement. The framework is a far cry from the legislative language Trump Administration officials had promised to have ready months ago — and the announcement itself will show that it’s more accurate to refer to it as “tax cuts” over reform. Showing he sees political upside in his war of words with pro athletes, Trump has continued to comment publicly on the situation — including to assert that his chief of staff, John Kelly, is fully on board with his attacks on those choosing to kneel in protest during the national anthem. Alabama Republicans are voting on their candidate for the Senate, with Trump backing incumbent Sen. Luther Strange at the behest of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, and Steve Bannon and other conservative populists backing former judge Roy Moore. The bitterly contested race is already having impact in Washington, with Republicans more worried than ever about primary challenges from their right flank. And should Moore win, as he is favored to do in recent polls, then expect lawmakers’ fears to reach a frenzy — especially with the failure of the latest Obamacare repeal effort and an uncertain future for the tax effort. _Here are your must reads:_ **Must Reads** [The GOP Tax Plan: Tough Choices With Limited Room to Maneuver ](https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-gop-tax-plan-tough-choices-with-limited-room-to-maneuver-1506418204)Republicans will likely struggle to squeeze all their priorities into a deal that allows for $1.5 trillion in tax cuts \[Wall Street Journal\] [As Senators Defect, GOP Concedes Health Bill’s Fate Bleak ](https://www.apnews.com/34cc8d59e8724569b38f95312f771bac/As-senators-defect,-GOP-concedes-health-bill's-fate-bleak)Lawmakers exhaust last 2017 reconciliation option \[Associated Press\] [GOP Already Eyeing Next Chance to Revive Obamacare Repeal ](http://www.politico.com/story/2017/09/25/obamacare-repeal-republicans-budget-243125)Senate Republicans are discussing whether to use their next budget reconciliation measure to target the health law \[Politico\] [Trump Has Picked Fights Over the Flag Before. But This Time Was Different. ](https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-has-picked-fights-over-the-flag-before-but-this-time-was-different/2017/09/25/608a6d80-a20a-11e7-8cfe-d5b912fabc99%5Fstory.html?tid=ss%5Ftw&utm%5Fterm=.63b12a0cf66f)Trump’s culture warrior past \[Washington Post\] [What a Roy Moore Win Could Mean for Washington ](http://time.com/4956726/roy-moore-luther-strange-alabama-primary/)The Alabama Senate primary is Tuesday \[TIME\] [At Least 6 White House Advisers Used Private Email Accounts ](https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/25/us/politics/private-email-trump-kushner-bannon.html?emc=edit%5Fth%5F20170926&nl=todaysheadlines&nlid=55003713)After Trump railed against Clinton’s \[New York Times\] **Sound Off** “I think if the debate is really, for them, about police brutality, they should probably protest the officers on the field that are protecting them instead of the American flag.” — White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders Monday “The NFL has all sorts of rules and regulations. The only way out for them is to set a rule that you can’t kneel during our National Anthem!” — President Trump in a Tuesday tweet **Bits and Bites** [Congress braces for Roger Stone show](http://www.politico.com/story/2017/09/25/roger-stone-testimony-congress-trump-243119?cmpid=sf) \[Politico\] [What Hurricane Maria taught me about the people of Puerto Rico](http://www.miamiherald.com/news/weather/hurricane/article175307901.html) \[Miami Herald\] [Bannon to Alabama: ‘They think you’re a pack of morons’](http://www.politico.com/story/2017/09/25/alabama-senate-bannon-strange-moore-243131?cmpid=sf) \[Politico\] [In Ivanka Trump’s China, business ties shrouded in secrecy](https://apnews.com/e48292da59ea401c98561756ca6df50c/In-Ivanka's-China,-business-ties-shrouded-in-secrecy) \[Associated Press\] [John Kelly is not pleased with Trump’s NFL culture war, but ‘appalled’ by players’ lack of respect](http://www.cnn.com/2017/09/25/politics/donald-trump-john-kelly-nfl/index.html) \[CNN\] [Protesters Got Dragged Out of a Hearing on the Republican Health Care Repeal Bill](http://time.com/4956397/graham-cassidy-republican-health-care-protests/) \[TIME\] [The ACA repeal effort was bad news from the start, with little public scrutiny and little chance for success](https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/the-aca-repeal-effort-was-bad-news-from-the-start-with-little-public-scrutiny-and-little-chance-for-success/2017/09/25/635a060e-a1e4-11e7-b14f-f41773cd5a14%5Fstory.html?hpid=hp%5Fhp-top-table-main%5Fpkcapitol-802pm:homepage/story&utm%5Fterm=.27824297a7c9) \[Washington Post\] [Athletes Are Not Going to ‘Stick to Sports’ and That’s an Admirably American Thing](https://www.si.com/nfl/2017/09/25/anthem-protest-donald-trump-colin-kaepernick) \[Sports Illustrated\] [NFL Player Who Helped Start Kneeling Movement Says This Is What Trump Gets Wrong About It](http://time.com/4956926/eric-reid-san-francisco-49ers-donald-trump/) \[TIME\] ## Transcript Here are my four principles for tax reform. First we are going to make the tax code simple and fair, so that families can spend more time with their children and less time waiting though pages of paper work. A staggering 94 % of families use professional help to do their taxes and that's not fair it's not right. That's why, under our plan, 95 % of Americans will be able to file their tax return on a single page without keeping receipts, tracking paperwork, or filling out extra schedules. Second, we're going to cut taxes for the middle class so that hardworking Americans can finally save more for their future. We want to help families keep more of what they earn and to be able to afford the costs of raising a family. Our tax code should recognize that the most important investment we can make is in our children. Third we are going to restore America's competitive edge by making our taxes be more attractive for investment and job creation. Our business tax rate is the highest in the world pushing jobs to foreign countries, that's not what we want, that's not what I've been talking about all these years, I've been talking about the exact opposite. We need to bring down our tax rates so we can create jobs, wealth and opportunity right here in the United States of America So we can bring our jobs back and bring our businesses back. We want tax reform that puts America first. We want tax reform that makes America great again. Finally, we're going to bring back trillions of dollars in wealth parked overseas so that it can be invested in our country where it belongs. We have a once in a generation opportunity to reform our tax code and pave the way to unprecedented prosperity. By doing what we're doing you will see results like you've never seen before. It will be the largest tax code our countries history. I'm asking members of both parties to come together, To put aside partisan differences and to pass historic tax reform and tax cuts for the great citizens of our nation. That's how we will all succeed and thrive together as one team, one people and one American family ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4956966/how-president-trump-is-handling-puerto-ricos-crisis/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4956966/how-president-trump-is-handling-puerto-ricos-crisis/"},"headline":"How President Trump is Handling Puerto Rico's Crisis","datePublished":"2017-09-26T16:34:13.000Z","dateModified":"2026-10-08T09:53:43.730Z","description":"Morning Must Reads: September 26","url":"https://time.com/4956966/how-president-trump-is-handling-puerto-ricos-crisis/","keywords":["Morning Must Reads"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb24c27fcf0ec0da8/6986837dcd6848a30809364f/morning-must-reads1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Zeke Miller","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/zeke-j-miller/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb24c27fcf0ec0da8/6986837dcd6848a30809364f/morning-must-reads1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Morning Must Reads","caption":"Capitol","creditText":"Mark Wilson—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/politics/","name":"Politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4956966/how-president-trump-is-handling-puerto-ricos-crisis/","name":"How President Trump is Handling Puerto Rico's Crisis"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"President Trump and Republicans Are Planning Big Tax Cuts for the Rich and Corporations","description":"The White House and congressional Republicans are finalizing a tax plan that would slash the corporate rate while likely reducing the levy for the wealthiest Americans, with President Donald Trump ready to roll out the policy proposal at midweek.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/rOEBbcV3/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2017-09-26T01:49:56.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/rOEBbcV3.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/4956966/how-president-trump-is-handling-puerto-ricos-crisis/","duration":"PT2M21S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/4956966/how-president-trump-is-handling-puerto-ricos-crisis/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```