[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 81 (Wednesday, May 15, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Page S2848]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                              Puerto Rico

  Mr. President, now on Puerto Rico, briefly, as negotiations on a 
final package of disaster aid continue, I want to stress to everyone 
that we must remain focused on reaching an agreement as swiftly as 
possible. Disaster-stricken Americans in the West, the South, the 
Midwest, and 3 million citizens of Puerto Rico are waiting on Congress 
to deliver relief, in some cases for disasters that occurred over a 
year ago.
  Why is this held up?
  We know why. Republicans are not willing to give aid to Puerto Rico. 
There was a bill that would never pass the House and something they 
didn't think originally, when President Trump said: Don't do it. And 
they just bowed down. They thought they could roll over the House and 
the Democratic minority in the Senate, who wouldn't stand up for 
certain Americans.
  Well, we did. Now, thankfully, we are making progress. Republicans 
are realizing that Puerto Ricans cannot be left out of the package, but 
now we must avoid poison pills at all costs. President Trump, if he 
sticks his thumb into this again and asks for something unreasonable, 
will delay disaster aid once again, just as he did before.
  To my Republican colleagues, let's do this together. Let's do it in 
the right way. Let's do it in the way that can pass the House.
  President Trump will sign the bill. We have to make sure this 
legislation gets across the finish line. Every time the President 
intervenes and Republican colleagues go along, it gets held up even 
further.