All Quotes

Let's make sure that nobody is left out, nobody who wants to support a valid option. The current statute call it the Commonwealth is one option.

Moreover, territory status gives the Federal Government license to discriminate against Puerto Rico.

No Senator would accept territory status for their constituents. So you must respect that my constituents do not accept it either.

There is consensus that territory status is the root cause of the economic problems that have persisted in Puerto Rico for at least 4 decades.

A YES or NO plebiscite for statehood is to be held.

The wish of the American citizens who voted on this question was clear: Congress should admit Puerto Rico in the Union on an equal footing with all the other states.

It is a basic issue of democracy, which requires representative government--a right we lack at the national government level.

In closing, I want to make this point. ... it is more important for me to secure justice for my people than it is for me to be polite.

It should come as no surprise, given our lack of political power, that the federal government often uses that license.

On November 6th, Puerto Rico withdrew its consent to territory status. The federal government must respect--and respond to--the democratically expressed will of its own citizens.

Self determination is a choice among options that can be implemented not an exercise in wishful thinking.

To expect a Presidential Administration to feel the same obligation to support Puerto Rico as it does the states is to substitute hope for experience.

You cannot solve the problem of our status by including the very option that was rejected by our people.

Congress must take action.

That's absolutely right. So I will withdraw my amendment. But let me just say that, again, this is one property. It's only one property out of thousands of properties facing these circumstances. So I hope we can work it out. It's not going…

We're seeking a comprehensive solution. We want to address all aspects of this.

It's a very risky approach to a complicated problem and could cause great harm to communities everywhere.

The enforcement-only approach offered by the SAFE Act falls short of accomplishing what America needs.