[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 4]
[House]
[Pages 5370-5371]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1030
      AN UPDATE ON THE PUERTO RICO STATEHOOD ADMISSION PROCESS ACT

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Puerto Rico (Mr. Pierluisi) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. PIERLUISI. Mr. Speaker, for the sixth time this year, I rise to 
discuss Puerto Rico's political status.
  I am an optimist about Puerto Rico's future. The island is blessed 
with natural beauty, a rich history, a vibrant culture, a sophisticated 
and diverse private sector, and talented and hard-working professionals 
who can compete with anyone, anywhere.
  But my optimism is tempered by realism. Because to change the world 
for the better, you must first see the world as it is. And the reality 
is that Puerto Rico's potential is being squandered. Puerto Rico should 
be a blooming flower, but instead it is withering on the vine.
  Puerto Rico is ensnared in the worst economic crisis in its history. 
The island's healthcare system is in a precarious state, the 
territory's homicide rate--despite recent improvements--still far 
exceeds that of any U.S. State, and residents of Puerto Rico are 
relocating to the States in record numbers.
  I have heard it argued that leaders in Puerto Rico should concentrate 
solely on the immediate problems at hand and set aside the issue of 
political status until those problems are resolved or their severity is 
reduced. This argument has superficial appeal, but it is completely 
wrong. All of Puerto Rico's major problems are directly linked to our 
status. They are rooted in the unequal treatment that Puerto Rico 
receives because it is a territory.
  If you want to understand why Puerto Rico has always had higher 
unemployment and poverty than any State, you must recognize that the 
territory is excluded from the earned income tax program, partially 
excluded from the child tax credit program, excluded from the 
Supplemental Security Income program, and treated unequally under the 
Federal nutrition assistance program.
  If you want to understand why Puerto Rico has high debt, you must 
realize

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that the territory government has borrowed so heavily in the bond 
market in order to compensate for its disparate treatment under Federal 
programs.
  If you want to understand why patients in Puerto Rico received 
inadequate care, why physicians and hospitals are not fairly 
compensated, and why the cost of providing health care is 
disproportionately borne by the Puerto Rico Government rather than 
shared equitably with the Federal Government, you must grasp that 
Puerto Rico is treated in a discriminatory fashion under Medicaid, 
traditional Medicare, Medicare Advantage, and the Affordable Care Act.
  If you want to understand why drug-related violence is pervasive in 
Puerto Rico, then you must come to terms with the fact that Federal law 
enforcement agencies have dedicated insufficient personnel and 
equipment to Puerto Rico because States invariably take priority over 
territories when it comes to the allocation of finite resources.
  To solve its deeply entrenched problems and to reach its enormous 
potential, Puerto Rico must receive equal treatment. And to receive 
equal treatment, Puerto Rico must become a State. To pretend otherwise 
is just that: to pretend.
  That is why less than 3 months ago I introduced H.R. 727, the most 
forceful statehood admission bill for Puerto Rico in history.
  I am proud to report that the bill is likely to obtain its 100th 
cosponsor as early as today. Cosponsors come from 31 States, the 
District of Columbia, and the four other territories. They are both 
Democrats and Republicans. Indeed, about 1,900 bills have been 
introduced so far in this Congress, and H.R. 727 has more bipartisan 
support than over 99 percent of them.
  Every Member who cosponsors this bill is standing up for a powerful 
principle, which is this: the people of Puerto Rico are American 
citizens who have enriched the life of this Nation for generations.
  My constituents have fought--and many have died--for a flag that 
contains 50 stars, but no star that represents them. If they reaffirm 
their desire in a federally sponsored vote to become a full and equal 
member of the American family, they have earned the right to be first-
class citizens.

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