[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 3]
[House]
[Page 4319]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      PUERTO RICO IS LEFT IN LIMBO

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Arizona (Mr. Gallego) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. GALLEGO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today on behalf of our brothers and 
sisters in Puerto Rico who, once again, are left in limbo as Republican 
leaders in Congress fail to act. As jobs are lost and young workers 
continue to leave the island, Republican leaders have, not once, but 
twice, canceled plans to take up legislation in the House Natural 
Resources Committee this week.
  As a member of this committee and a Latino, I continue to be outraged 
by the majority's inability to govern and respond to the humanitarian 
crisis on the island. Republicans will keep playing politics and use 
the urgency of time to force a bill that will turn out to be 
significantly worse for the Puerto Rican people, all while asking my 
Democratic colleagues for their support.
  This is unacceptable. I will not vote for any deal that fundamentally 
misses the mark when it comes to long-term, meaningful progress, 
including addressing wide health disparities in Puerto Rico.
  Mr. Speaker, Puerto Rico cannot afford to risk its future at the 
hands of Republicans, and we cannot afford to leave behind millions of 
American citizens who call the island home. Mr. Speaker, we need a 
bill.

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