[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 11]
[House]
[Page 16478]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         PUERTO RICO NEEDS HELP

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New 
York (Mr. Espaillat) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. ESPAILLAT. Mr. Speaker, imagine waking up with no lights, imagine 
waking up with no running water, you cannot bathe yourself, you cannot 
feed your children, you get so desperate that you break into chemically 
contaminated water, into untreated sewage water, you are on dialysis, 
Mr. Speaker, and there is still no electricity, or you are running out 
of medication and supplies in hospitals that are very low.
  What I am describing to you, Mr. Speaker, is not a dream. It is a 
living nightmare, and it has been a living nightmare in Puerto Rico for 
over a month. For over 4 weeks, while we now begin to focus and speak 
about tax reform and how this Congress attempts to assist the 1 
percent--the wealthiest, the well-heeled--with a handsome tax break, 
with the elimination of the estate tax, when we attempt to shelve, to 
forget, to turn our head on this nightmare unfolded in Puerto Rico, it 
continues to be a living nightmare.
  That doesn't stop there, Mr. Speaker. Puerto Rico could lose funding 
also for thousands of low-income housing units if power to the island 
isn't restored soon. The Department of Housing and Urban Development, 
which subsidizes 203 housing projects on the island, is prohibited by 
law from providing Section 8 assistance to buildings that are not 
decent, safe, and sanitary.
  Every day that Puerto Rico goes without resources, potable water, 
medication, and electricity, the situation becomes more dangerous and 
the death tolls continue to go up. This has now become, Mr. Speaker, 
our Caribbean Katrina.
  The official death toll reported by the government increased today to 
49 deaths, but many folks fear that it is much higher than that, after 
confirming a death due to leptospirosis. According to the CDC, 
leptospirosis is a bacterial disease that affects humans and animals. 
Without treatment, this disease can lead to kidney damage, meningitis, 
liver failure, respiratory distress, and even death. To date, the 
island has reported 76 possible cases of the disease. Investigative 
reporting from various sources have tallied up deaths to potentially 
north of 450 people. As of Friday, October 6, at least 14 people have 
committed suicide in Puerto Rico. They are traumatized and in distress. 
This is our Caribbean Katrina. A list of 113 people remain missing 
after Maria's passage.
  I was just in Puerto Rico for the second time this past week with 
Congressman Luis Gutierrez. The Congressman and I helped distribute 
supplies and necessities to Comerio, a small town in a remote part of 
Puerto Rico.
  Puerto Rico continues to need help. It needs to be woken up from this 
living nightmare. S.O.S. S.O.S. Get resources to them now. It is our 
Caribbean Katrina. Let's own it. Let's resolve it.

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