Thomas Rivera Schatz: “This Committee should use its jurisdictional power... to enact legislation that will do away with our second-class…”

This debate is about whether the people of Puerto Rico are ready to join us as a full partner of this Union.

Full democracy has not been achieved in Puerto Rico. Puerto Ricans who live in the island cannot vote for the President, nor can we elect senators or voting members in the House of Representatives.

One of the recommendations we have in prime cuts is to reduce the cost growth in the major defense acquisition portfolio by 20 percent over 5 years.

If a program is going to be proposed and funded by the Federal government, there should be a way to determine whether that program is achieving its goals, and if it is not, it should be eliminated.