Sean Duffy: “I appreciate the gentleman from Alabama for yielding. It is a fascinating debate, where two sides of the political aisle…”

“I appreciate the gentleman from Alabama for yielding. It is a fascinating debate, where two sides of the political aisle have come together, at the start, from very different vantage points on how to help Puerto Rico but have consistently worked together to find a compromise that all of us think is going to leave Puerto Rico better off than it is today. I heard the gentleman from Illinois, in his fiery remarks, talking about dignity and respect for the people of Puerto Rico. He was saying that people in Puerto Rico are being treated like trash. The economic stats are staggering of what is happening in Puerto Rico: the unemployment rate, it is double that of the mainland; the labor participation rate is 20 points lower than the national average; and thousands of people every month are leaving the island because there is not enough economic opportunity. If you want to talk about dignity and respect, look at the poverty on the island. Look at the despair on the island. I mean, you have families that are being separated because they have no jobs. They can't live in their neighborhoods, in their communities with their families because they can't find an opportunity, so they have to go somewhere else. That is not dignity. That is not respect. So this Congress has come together with a unified voice to come up with a package that can actually get Puerto Rico on an economic path to prosperity.…”