Washington Promised Puerto Rico $14 Billion To Fix Its Grid. Most of the Money Is Still Stuck.

In 2017, Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico, causing an 11-month blackout in some parts of the island. In the years since, the federal government has allocated billions of dollars to fix the grid. However, only a quarter of this funding has actually reached the island, according to a new government report.

A federal audit released last week by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) revealed that of the $14 billion obligated for grid repair and modernization in Puerto Rico since 2017, around 75 percent, or $10.7 billion, remains undisbursed. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) was the slowest mover of funds identified in the report, with only $2.7 billion of its total $11.1 billion in obligated funds disbursed. According to the GAO, a measly nine FEMA-funded projects have been completed as of December 2025, while 249 are "at different stages of completion."