Puerto Rican foods recipients
Credit: Ramon Espinosa / AP

WASHINGTON — The Trump administration says providing additional disaster funding for Puerto Rico’s food stamp program is “excessive and unnecessary,” as the island continues to struggle to recover from the effects of 2017’s Hurricane Maria and an ongoing economic crisis.

In response to a bill that passed the House this week, the White House rejected the idea of extending disaster funding for food stamps in Puerto Rico in a statement on Wednesday. The measure would have provided $600 million for the island’s food stamp program, known as NAP or Nutrition Assistance for Puerto Rico, to help provide for more Puerto Ricans in the aftermath of the natural disaster.

“There is no indication that households need ongoing support at this time or that Puerto Rico requires additional time to return to normal NAP operations,” the White House wrote in the statement of administration policy.

But the request for $600 million came directly from Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rosselló, who wrote a letter to congressional leaders in […]