Pedro Pierluisi

violent crime is not an abstract problem. To the contrary, it is profoundly, intensely, and undeniably personal.

As a territory, Puerto Rico has always been treated unequally under Federal health programs. While the Affordable Care Act improved the island's treatment under Medicaid, a number of key inequalities remain under both Medicaid and…

Today I introduced legislation that would extend the SSI program to Puerto Rico, the United States Virgin Islands, and Guam. SSI provides cash assistance to blind, disabled, or elderly individuals who have limited or no income. Although…

American citizens in the Caribbean are facing a security crisis. While the national murder rate has declined in recent decades, the number of homicides in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands remains unacceptably high. Since 2008, the…

I have an amendment at the desk. The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment. The text of the amendment is as follows: Page 56, after line 3, insert the following new section: SEC. 612. TRANSPORTATION OF PASSENGERS BETWEEN…

In closing, Madam Chair, I hear that there is some opposition, but what frustrates me is that there are no specifics. I haven't yet heard a specific way in which my proposed amendment would harm any U.S.-flagged vessel or industry. Indeed…

My amendment will make a narrow and carefully targeted modification to the Passenger Vessel Services Act of 1886 as it applies to Puerto Rico. This amendment would authorize foreign-flagged vessels--in particular, large yachts and…

I want to commend my colleague, Congressman Grimm, for introducing this bill to name a post office in his Staten Island district after Sergeant Angel Mendez, who, at age 20, in Vietnam, laid down his life for his fellow marines, earning…

I have physical evidence of the rising ocean levels.

The coming months represent a defining moment for our Nation. Responsible leaders from both political parties understand that we must come together on behalf of the American people to create jobs for millions of unemployed workers and to…

I rise this morning to discuss the issue of Federal support for health care in Puerto Rico and the other U.S. territories. This is a story of unprecedented progress, but it is also a chronicle of continuing challenges. While the treatment…

Protecting our Nation's maritime borders is a matter of great importance to Puerto Rico as well.

I come to this hearing concerned that there is a mismatch between the level of drug-related violence in Puerto Rico... and the size and scope of the Federal response.

Each year, 26 Federal agencies award over half a trillion dollars in grant funding. Earlier this year, Congress significantly changed the manner in which the Federal Government allocates funding. In the past, State and local governments…

The 2010 census confirmed that Hispanics are a growing part of the American family. There are now more than 50 million Latinos in the United States, accounting for more than half of the Nation's population growth between 2000 and 2010…

Government's most solemn obligation is to protect the people it serves. Since 9/11 our government has rightly placed much of its attention on defending the American people from terrorism. But we should not forget that government has a…

The United States stands at a crossroads. Responsible leaders recognize that a bipartisan fiscal strategy must be crafted to reduce deficits. A deal will require courage on the part of its proponents, because each revenue raiser and…

The Essential Air Service program, enacted in the wake of airline deregulation in 1978, ensures that smaller communities that were served by air carriers before deregulation continue to be served so that residents of these communities can…

I will simply say I will have some time to consider your offer to work with you on my other amendment, which is not now on the floor. But until then I simply urge my colleagues to support this amendment. I yield back the balance of my…

I thank the gentleman from Florida, even though he rises in opposition. I'm pleased that as the chairman of the committee of jurisdiction, he's supporting this amendment. So under these circumstances, I just ask him if he has any further…

I have an amendment at the desk. The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment. The text of the amendment is as follows: Page 161, line 18, strike ``Alaska and Hawaii'' and insert ``Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico''. Page 164…

I want to thank the gentleman from Florida for his kind words and for the commitment he has made to ensure that Puerto Rico is not overlooked in the deliberations about the Essential Air Service program. I cannot overstate the importance…

I have an amendment at the desk. The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment. The text of the amendment is as follows: Page 40, after line 21, insert the following (and redesignate subsequent sections, and conform the table of…

I offer this amendment to codify the method by which the Secretary of Transportation is to allocate annual formula grants to airports in Puerto Rico for capital development and planning. The amendment is simple and straightforward and…

I am also troubled by the proposed reductions in funding for the coastal zone management grants, and for the National Estuarine Research Reserves, one of which is Jobos Bay located in Puerto Rico.