President Donald Trump has removed Andrew Biggs from Puerto Rico's Financial Oversight Board (OBoard), which supervises the island's finances during its ongoing bankruptcy process. Biggs, known as the pension expert on the board, faced criticism for the growth of pension liabilities during the eight-year bankruptcy, marking one of the board's notable failures. The executive director of the OBoard, Robert Mujica, earns $625,000—three times his previous salary in New York—and holds multiple consulting roles outside Puerto Rico, raising concerns amid projections of economic collapse. The board has also been criticized for spending over $2 billion on consultants and attorneys despite continued infrastructure issues. Recently, Puerto Rico has experienced selective blackouts affecting over 112,000 customers, attributed to the failure of three major electrical generation units. These outages have been linked to the previous OBoard members' lack of effective management. The situation has drawn comparisons to a potential USAID scandal due to wasted funds and lack of accountability, with calls for greater oversight as Puerto Rico struggles with its economic and infrastructure challenges.
While Puerto Rico contends with selective blackouts *again* the OBoard @fombpr is circulating a press release to the media defending spending over $2 billion on consultants and attorneys. These people are so disconnected and oblivious it's shameful. #muniland https://t.co/p1GTRIDG8j
Apagones selectivos a esta hora en #PuertoRico, alegadamente, por déficit en la generación. Hay más de 112,000 clientes (hogares y/o negocios) sin luz en este momento alrededor de toda la Isla. Regiones más afectadas: Mayagüez y San Juan.🕯️🔦 https://t.co/YZPIeQZuv8
Three large electrical generation units have gone out of service in Puerto Rico & likely to begin experiencing blackouts from load shedding. This is the legacy of the prior OBoard members who President Trump just threw off the board. #muniland They put zero effort into ensuring a https://t.co/0MWvuTfGjH https://t.co/5W5d7qhFhH