Orrin Hatch: “I appreciate my friend and colleague from Florida. I too understand that he understands a lot about this. Look…”

“I appreciate my friend and colleague from Florida. I too understand that he understands a lot about this. Look, bankruptcy laws do not apply. That doesn't mean we can't change that. I am not sure that is the way to do it. We are going to have to have some real information before we can move in that direction--which may be dangerous. I do think it is incumbent upon the Puerto Rican leadership to provide us with audited financial statements, so we really know what the problems are, so we can then approach this in an intelligent, reasonable, healthy, loving way. I am for getting this problem solved, but I am not for just throwing money at it when we know their central government is completely bloated and that is what is causing some, if not most, of the problems. At least that is what we have been told. I am happy to look at financials. I am happy to look at whatever suggestions are made. Not that I am that important, but we can move if we know what we are talking about. I am not about to move on the backs of the rest of the American taxpayers until they clean up the mess that is there, and they sit down with their creditors and see what they can work out. We ought to be encouraging them. I think their creditors want us to encourage them because they think it can be worked out--at least the one that I have spoken with. So I commit to the distinguished Senator. He knows I don't make commitments unless I mean them. I am going to try to solve this problem.…”