Kamala Harris lauds Puerto Rico’s ‘grit’ after disasters

By Robin Bravender | 03/22/2024 04:17 PM EDT

The vice president visited the island alongside Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm on Friday. 

Vice President Kamala Harris looks on.

Vice President Kamala Harris. Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Vice President Kamala Harris praised Puerto Rico’s resilience in the face of climate-fueled disasters Friday as she touted the Biden administration’s investments on the island.

She joined Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm and other senior Biden administration officials in Puerto Rico to “highlight the administration’s actions to advance Puerto Rico’s recovery and renewal,” according to the White House.

The trip marked Harris’ first to the island since she was sworn in as vice president, according to the White House. She last visited the island in 2017 in the aftermath of Hurricanes Irma and Maria, which destroyed homes and infrastructure.

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“I saw the devastation that occurred,” Harris said Friday. “But what we also know is a community in a society that is on an upward trajectory, when these types of climate disasters occur, they don’t lose their grit. They don’t lose the ambition. They don’t lose the momentum.”

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