Political Quotes

“18,000 Puerto Ricans served in the Armed Forces in World War I; 65,000 in the Second World War; 61,000 during the Korean war; 48,000 in the Vietnam war. Since 1917, more than 200,000 American citizens from Puerto Rico have served in the U.S. Armed Forces, serving in every conflict since World War I. A previous leader of the Senate asked me to represent the Senate in a ceremony in Puerto Rico a number of years ago as they were dedicating the monument to fallen soldiers of Puerto Rico in conflicts involving the United States and other countries. I have never forgotten that. I have a warm spot in my heart for Puerto Rico, a wonderful part of our country and a territory of the United States with a beautiful rain forest. I have been there. I have fond memories. I have been there a few times, but I really like Puerto Rico. Today, as they have helped us in these battles, Puerto Ricans who live in Puerto Rico need our help. Right now, the people of Puerto Rico are drowning in over $72 billion in debt. It is a sparsely populated territory with, I think, about 3.5 million people. They have more debt per capita than any U.S. State, of course. The territory is facing a severe economic and fiscal crisis, and it is becoming a humanitarian crisis. Leader Pelosi and I fought to include meaningful provisions in an omnibus spending package to assist Puerto Rico, including empowering Puerto Rico to readjust a significant portion of its debt.…”