Political Quotes

“Madam President, I want to talk about a matter of life and death. It is happening, as we speak, in Puerto Rico. I went there yesterday. I didn't want to have a flyover of the island, but at the invitation of Governor Rossello, I got into a helicopter so that I could get up into the mountains and into the areas that have been closed because people hadn't been able to get there on the roads. That is what I wanted to see. We have had colleagues come back and, because of a flyover in a helicopter, say that they say don't see a lot of damage. Of course not, because they are flying over parts of towns in which most of the structures are concrete blocks. But if you get down there on the ground and go into the structure, then you will see a different story. First of all, you will smell a different story because the water has accumulated, and now it is turning to mold and mildew--inhabitable conditions. But when you get up into the mountains, you see the places that were cut off. Not until a week ago did they have the roads cleared so that people could get up there. And as we speak, as of yesterday, they are still reconstructing the roads so that people can get on these narrow, winding, little dirt roads that go up through the mountains. So for 2 and a half weeks, communities have been completely cut off, like the one that I saw yesterday, Utuado, which is way up in the mountains. I want to show you some pictures, but I want you to realize that today is Monday.…”