Puerto Rico is projected to exhaust a $6.4 billion Medicaid grant before the end of the year and has been struggling without replacement funding.
The Associated Press:
Disputes Over Abortion, Financial Rules Slow Spending Bill
Political fights over abortion, financial regulations and Puerto Rico have slowed Republican and Democratic negotiators working on a sweeping, government-wide spending bill. President Donald Trump’s tweetstorm lashing out at Democrats didn’t help. (4/27)
The Wall Street Journal:
Puerto Rico Emerges As Sticking Point In Government Funding Showdown
Securing additional Medicaid dollars from Washington has been a priority for Puerto Rico as it sits on the verge of an unprecedented court-supervised bankruptcy. Mr. Trump weighed in after Democratic and GOP leadership reached an agreement to provide incremental assistance to Puerto Rico ahead of an impending health-care funding cliff on the island, according to people familiar with the matter. (Scurria, 4/27)
CQ Roll Call:
Omnibus Talks Tangled Up In Puerto Rico Medicaid Shortfall
The details of the negotiations remain murky but disagreement was noted Thursday by both White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer and Sen. Robert Menendez, a New Jersey Democrat who has been an outspoken advocate on Puerto Rico’s financial troubles and participated on a congressional task force on the issue. (Mejdrich, 4/27)
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