Political Quotes

“this morning I had an opportunity to meet with the Governor of Puerto Rico, the Honorable Pedro Rosello. The purpose was to discuss a variety of issues affecting our relationship with Puerto Rico. The Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, which I chair, has the responsibility for the territories and the freely associated States of the United States, of which Puerto Rico is one. That responsibility derives from the plenary authority of the Federal Government over the territories, which is placed in the Congress under article IV of the Constitution. I take that responsibility very seriously. My State was a territory until 1959. I truly remember the days when my State was totally dependent on the goodwill of the Congress. Sometimes that goodwill was somewhat lacking. We were American citizens. We did not enjoy the right to vote. We had no representation in Congress. We were subject to Federal income tax. Some Alaskans thought they would feel good about filing under protest and would write that across their income tax return, but that is about the extent of the satisfaction they got. In any event, I do have a certain sensitivity for the American people of Puerto Rico. I think it is fair to remind my colleagues that Congress is vested with the power to admit States and the power to dispose of the territory status of those areas within the United States.”