Political Quotes

“I have come to the floor once again, as I have time and again, with a simple message. For Puerto Rico, time is of the essence. For the 3\1/2\ million United States citizens who live there, time is of the essence, but getting it right is also of the essence. There are only 8 business days left until Puerto Rico defaults on approximately $2 billion in debt. Congress needs to act immediately to prevent this fiscal crisis from becoming a full-blown humanitarian catastrophe. And while the House has attempted to address this issue by passing a legislative proposal called PROMESA--``promesa'' in Spanish means ``promise''--it lacks the promise that really would help 3\1/2\ million U.S. citizens in Puerto Rico. There are Members on both sides of the aisle who believe the bill is fundamentally flawed. So instead of simply rubberstamping an inferior solution, the Senate needs to follow the Founding Fathers' intent and thoroughly debate this critical issue, which will have such a profound impact on so many Americans. I would note that calls for a thorough debate on the Senate floor are bipartisan in nature, and I thank my colleague Senator Wicker for joining me in a letter to the leadership asking for a full and open process to consider this bill. I would remind my colleagues that each one of us was elected to this very Chamber to debate and enact legislation to improve the lives of Americans.…”