Political Quotes

“I thank the gentlewoman for the time. I rise to sadly oppose this disaster supplemental, which does not do enough to help Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. This is a bill created by Republicans with little Democratic input. At some point, they decided that rather than working in a bipartisan manner, they wanted to try and address these disasters without taking into account some of the most important Democratic priorities. In particular, it does not address many issues crucial to Puerto Rico's recovery in the wake of Hurricanes Irma and Maria. For instance, it does nothing to address the looming Medicaid cliff, which will devastate health kits access and delivery on the island early next year. It does not waive numerous local cost share requirements, which will make it extremely difficult for the government of Puerto Rico to access large parts of the Federal funding made available here. It does not do enough to help States like New York and New Jersey and others that have generously opened their arms to our fellow citizens displaced by these storms. {time} 1500 It expands the powers of the Puerto Rico Fiscal Oversight Board, giving them authority to approve the recovery plans of Puerto Rico's government. The end result of all of this is further delay in Puerto Rico's recovery. This is not the message that we want to send to 3.4 million American citizens this holiday season.…”