[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 171 (Wednesday, December 4, 2013)]
[House]
[Pages H7453-H7454]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  PUERTO RICO'S TERRITORY STATUS IS THE PRIMARY CAUSE OF ITS ECONOMIC 
                                PROBLEMS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Puerto Rico (Mr. Pierluisi) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. PIERLUISI. Mr. Speaker, over the last several months, the press 
has been filled with stories about the severe economic problems in the 
U.S. territory of Puerto Rico. These economic problems have aggravated 
social problems like crime, have generated anxiety for individuals and 
institutions that have invested in Puerto Rico's bonds, and have caused 
island residents to relocate to the 50 States in unprecedented numbers.
  The statistics are staggering. In recent years, Puerto Rico's 
population has fallen by more than 4 percent, while the number of 
Puerto Ricans living in the States has increased by over 45 percent.

[[Page H7454]]

  As Puerto Rico's representative in Congress, it pains me to read 
media accounts of the island's troubles, especially because I know that 
my constituents are just as capable and industrious as their fellow 
citizens in any other jurisdiction. Puerto Rico has enormous potential, 
but the reality is that this potential is not being fulfilled.
  Although the island's problems have certainly grown worse in recent 
months, it is critical for policymakers and the American public to 
understand that these problems are not of recent vintage. To the 
contrary, for at least four decades, Puerto Rico's economic 
performance--and by extension, quality of life on the island--has been 
far worse than any State, according to every indicator, including 
unemployment, average household income, and the ratio of government 
debt to economic production.
  In other words, Puerto Rico's difficulties have endured in more or 
less the same form, regardless of who holds power in Washington and San 
Juan and irrespective of the public policies they formulate.
  To be sure, fiscal mismanagement at the local level and insufficient 
attention at the Federal level have both been factors contributing to 
Puerto Rico's problems, but the record clearly establishes that they 
are not the main factor.
  What, then, is the principle source of Puerto Rico's longstanding 
woes?
  In a recent editorial, The Washington Post correctly identified the 
culprit, noting that the territory's economic problems are 
``structural--traceable, ultimately, to its muddled political status.'' 
Curiously, The Post then asserted that ``there will be time enough to 
debate'' the status issue later and that Puerto Rico, for the time 
being, should concentrate on fixing its finances.
  As I observed in a letter to The Post's editor, this is like a doctor 
recommending medicine to alleviate a patient's symptoms but doing 
nothing to treat the underlying disease.
  As long as Puerto Rico remains a territory, deprived of equal 
treatment under critical Federal spending and tax credit programs, 
forced to borrow heavily to make up the difference, and lacking the 
ability to vote for the President and Members of Congress who make our 
national laws, the island will be in a position merely to manage, 
rather than surmount, its economic problems. This is the only 
reasonable conclusion to draw from decades of empirical evidence.
  A majority of my constituents understand this, which is why they 
voted to reject territory status in a referendum held 1 year ago. The 
Obama administration recognizes this as well, which is why it proposed 
the first federally sponsored status vote in Puerto Rico's history to 
resolve the issue once and for all.
  And, finally, Members of Congress from both parties comprehend this, 
which is why 125 of them have cosponsored legislation I introduced that 
provides for an up-or-down vote in Puerto Rico on the territory's 
admission as a state and outlines the steps the Federal Government will 
take if a majority of voters favor admission.
  There are many reasons to oppose Puerto Rico's territory status, 
which is unequal, undemocratic, and un-American. One of the most 
important reasons why Puerto Rico must discard this status in favor of 
either statehood or nationhood is because the current status has 
failed--and will continue to fail--to provide the island's 3.6 million 
American citizens with the economic opportunities and the quality of 
life they deserve.
  Those who refuse to acknowledge this fundamental truth for 
ideological reasons are doing a great disservice to the people of 
Puerto Rico. They are on the wrong side of history.

                          ____________________