Floor Statements

Thank you, Mr. Weber, for allowing me to speak in these Special Orders, and actually speaking about hurricanes.

Mr. Speaker and Members, last week, Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico, and

it is by far the worst hurricane to do so in the last century. It came at a time when Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands and most of the Caribbean were beginning to recover from the impact of Hurricane Irma just 10 days earlier.

Keep in mind, also, that even before the winds and waves of Irma and Maria began to lash at the shores, Puerto Rico was already in a dire economic shape. We are still engaged in lifesaving operations, searching for and helping people who are in the greatest danger.

Maria snapped the island's communication towers, and gathering information from many communities has been nearly impossible at this time, especially in the rural center of the island, where the winds were ferocious and landslides have occurred.

This hurricane has been a disaster of unprecedented proportions. The images that you have been seeing on TV are dramatic but don't even begin to tell the magnitude of this catastrophe and the human suffering that you can only truly experience by being on the ground. In every way, Maria is on the same level of Hurricanes Katrina, Sandy, Harvey, but with one major difference: Puerto Rico is an island, which makes it almost impossible to get aid and disaster relief resources in, as they can only come by sea or air. The people are basically stuck there with no place to go.

Currently, Puerto Rico's electric grid is completely down. Roads and bridges have been washed away, leaving many communities without communication. A crucial dam has burst, forcing the evacuation of thousands of people. Hospitals are crippled and operating on power generators, but the logistics of transporting the diesel needed to run them is extremely difficult. Thousands of homes, buildings, and businesses have been destroyed. Water and food are in short supply. People are waiting in line for up to 6 hours just to purchase $20 worth of gasoline. Commercial flights to and from the island are almost nonexistent, with thousands of people on airline wait-lists just to leave. Most banks cannot operate, and people don't have easy access to cash, which they need desperately because credit cards are not being used on the island because we don't have power.

Maria flattened 80 percent of the island's agriculture, and Puerto Rico's tourism industry has been crushed. For most of the island's residents, the hurricane can best be described as apocalyptic. Congress must approve an aid package that is proportional with the level of devastation. We need tangible relief that addresses the island's immediate needs. Without help, there will be a massive exodus to the U.S. mainland, and the ongoing humanitarian crisis will only get worse.

The residents of Puerto Rico are American citizens. They are not different from every person sitting in this Chamber. But unlike everyone else, Congress has 100 percent control over the land where we live. This is a job for the Federal Government, particularly this Congress, to authorize and appropriate the money needed to rebuild the island. This is a dire time for the island, and, therefore, our Nation. The U.S. has an abiding national interest in the recovery and prosperity of Puerto Rico and its 3.4 million U.S. citizens who are facing very tough economic times, even before this latest blow.

I have heard from many of you, many of my colleagues, even the Vice President today, and I am deeply grateful for all the prayers and support.

I also want to thank the Trump administration for their unwavering collaboration with the Puerto Rico National Guard. More than 10,000 people were deployed helping the island to restore the power grid. It will take more than 6 months to get power on the island again.

I hope this House can keep us in your prayers, but also to approve the package that is going to be needed in October, and I know we will respond. That was the claim that President Trump made today, and the Vice President. I was just in a meeting with them. I want to thank the Speaker of the House for his leadership allowing the waiver to the cost sharing of FEMA on the island.

Mr. Speaker, Puerto Rico's territorial constitution is 65 years old today. An act of Congress authorized the island's people to pass a charter of the local government.

It did not, however, eliminate Federal authority to govern Puerto Rico in local matters. The island's constitution names the territorial government a ``freely associated State'' in Spanish, but we are not a freely associated State because we are not a sovereign nation.

Under the U.S. Constitution, Puerto Rico remains subject to a territorial clause until it becomes a State. Proof of that power is PROMESA, which installed Federal appointees to make final decisions on Puerto Rico's fiscal matters.

The Americans I represent want to exercise self-government in local matters once again; but, more importantly, want to fully possess that power as the States do.

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to stand before the House today to recognize Vice Admiral Diego ``Duke'' Hernandez, a decorated war hero and patriot who passed away on Friday, July 7, at 83 years old.

Admiral Hernandez was born and raised in Puerto Rico, the son of two schoolteachers who became a three-star admiral and the highest ranking Hispanic officer in the United States Navy at the time. Throughout his distinguished 35-year career, he served as a commander to various naval forces earning the Silver Star, the Distinguished Flying Cross, and the Purple Heart. He exemplified the valor and commitment that his brothers in arms from Puerto Rico have demonstrated since the Great War.

On July 14, 1998, Admiral Hernandez testified before the Senate and highlighted Puerto Rican participation in our Nation's wars and the reality of their marginalization from the democracy they fought to defend and uphold. He urged Congress to respond to the people of Puerto Rico so they can achieve political self-determination.

In his honor, I echo the same. Today, I ask the House to join me in expressing our profound gratitude to Admiral Hernandez and his contributions to the United States of America.

Mr. Speaker, the American citizens of Puerto Rico overwhelmingly voted in favor of becoming the 51st State of our great Nation. This is the second time in the past 5 years where my constituents have expressed their will to join our Nation.

Soon I will introduce legislation to set forth the terms of admission for the new State of Puerto Rico.

Our people have, in war and peace, made countless contributions to our Nation. They have fought in every conflict since the Great War. Many have made the ultimate sacrifice, and when they do, their casket is flown back to this country draped in an American flag bearing the 50 stars, but no star that represents them.

It takes a special kind of patriotism to fight for a nation that does not treat you equally, a nation that is a champion of democracy and self-determination, yet denies those same principles to 3.4 million of its own citizens in Puerto Rico.

Mr. Speaker, my constituents have spoken, and they deserve Congress' response.

Mr. Speaker, since the day I was elected to Congress, I pledged to do everything in my power to help veterans receive the care and attention they deserve. S. 1094 will ensure that persons hired to care for the health and the well-being of our veterans do so according to VA regulations, and those who fail in their duties are held accountable. Moreover, this bill protects whistleblowers from retaliation when they alarm us of VA misconduct.

Currently, Puerto Rico has one VA regional benefit office, one VA hospital, and a few outpatient clinics. These facilities provide all the VA services to the island's veterans. This bill will help ensure places with limited VA facilities, like Puerto Rico, will be efficiently administered and make certain that the VA's employees adhere to the standards of excellence that our men and women in uniform expect.

I thank Senator Rubio for sponsoring this bill, but I need to thank Chairman Roe for guiding this important legislation on the House floor the same way he did with H.R. 1529.

Mr. Speaker, today I must first thank Chairman Roe for all of his leadership and work on behalf of our veterans. I also thank Representative Bost and all of our committee members for allowing me to contribute to this effort.

Today I rise to support H.R. 2288, the Veterans Appeals Improvement and Modernization Act. This bill will provide timely justice to the brave Americans who gave their best in the name of democracy, freedom, and the continuing greatness of our Nation.

As the sole representative of more than 93,000 registered veterans in Puerto Rico, I established a Veterans Affairs Task Force, and one of the main complaints they have is about the Veterans Administration's and Board of Veterans Appeals' slow processing of their claims.

I believe every veterans service organization hears similar complaints. The most recent statistics reveal a 5,000-case backlog for claims originally filed by Puerto Rican veterans. One such Puerto Rican claim has gone on for over 12 years, other claims for over 5

years. As of this date, the veterans are still waiting for the Board of Veterans Appeals' decisions. This is not the justice system our veterans deserve.

I am a proud sponsor of this bill, and this bill will provide heroic veterans a system that is adjusted to their needs.

Mr. Speaker, as a fiscal conservative, let me set the record straight. This bill's recognized $296 million of Medicaid funding is just a bridge, half of the bridge. This legislation simply reprograms this funding to partially address the impending Medicaid cliff in Puerto Rico.

This allocation does not constitute new money for the island. There should be no mistake about the territories' Medicaid program, which historically has been underfunded and treated differently from the States. This cliff is the result of ObamaCare.

Congress should understand that that failure to address this issue will provoke a complete collapse of Puerto Rico's healthcare delivery system and make worse the already ongoing mass exodus from the island to the mainland States, such as Florida and North Carolina.

Over 1.4 million United States American citizens in Puerto Rico receive health services through the Medicaid program at a per member, per year rate of $167 versus $500 to $600 in the 50 States.

It is quite a difference. I want to recognize and thank Speaker Paul Ryan, Chairman Frelinghuysen, Chairman Cole, Members of this House, and all of my colleagues for supporting this bill.

Mr. Speaker, today I rise in support of the U.S. Territories Investor Protection Act. I am a cosponsor of this bill, and I thank Representative Velazquez for introducing H.R. 1366 and the Members who have joined in supporting this important legislation.

The U.S. Territories Investor Protection Act will close a loophole in the current law. By passing this bill, Congress will bring to Puerto Rico's investors the same protections enjoyed by investors residing in the 50 States.

Under current law, investment funds that are located and organized in the U.S. territories and sell to only residents of the territories are exempted from the Investment Company Act of 1940, which governs entities, such as mutual and exchange-traded funds.

Because of this exemption, investment companies located in the U.S. territories can sell their products to territory residents while not being subjected to the oversight, disclosure, and conflict-of-interest requirements that govern investment companies located in the States. As a result, investors residing in Puerto Rico and the other territories have experienced investment losses, some of which likely would have been prohibited had the 1940 act applied to the territories.

For example, UBS operating in Puerto Rico served as an adviser to Puerto Rico's Employees Retirement System and, in 2008, led the underwriting of a $2.9 billion bond issue for the government pension agency. UBS then placed $1.7 billion of those funds into UBS-managed mutual funds that UBS then sold exclusively to customers on the island. This investment would have been forbidden by the Investment Company Act if these funds were sold in the States.

The Puerto Rican investors holding these bonds have suffered massive losses and are claiming that UBS did not properly disclose the risks of these funds. On the island, hundreds of these customers have filed arbitration claims with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority and seek more than $1.1 billion in damages. UBS continues to lose these cases for failing its fiduciary responsibilities.

Today's vote on H.R. 1366 will help end such outrageous investment abuse and gives Congress another opportunity to align the laws governing Puerto Rico and the other territories with the laws governing the 50 States.

H.R. 1366 will remove the territories' exemption and make the Investment Company Act of 1940 apply to companies that are located, organized in, and sell to residents of the territories.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote in support of H.R. 1366, the U.S. Territories Investor Protection Act.

Mr. Speaker, I was elected to seek equality for the 3.4 million American citizens living in Puerto Rico. I am the sole elected representative for the island and I represent more constituents in my sole district than anyone in this House.

Mr. Speaker, I was elected to seek equality for 3.4 million American citizens living in Puerto Rico. I am the sole Representative for the island, and I represent more constituents in my sole district than anyone in this House.

I rise today to honor the 100th anniversary of the enactment of the Jones Act, which conferred American citizenship on Puerto Ricans on this day in 1917. Since then, more than 200,000 veterans have served proudly in the U.S. military, where they are equal in war but not in peace.

That is why I stand with the will of the people of Puerto Rico to incorporate to the United States as the 51st State of the Union, as requested in the 2012 plebiscite by 61 percent of the votes.

Let this House fulfill the promise that the United States of America is a nation of liberty and justice for all of us.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today as Puerto Rico's sole elected representative in Congress to speak about a great man who gave up his voting rights in order to live and die in the place he loved so much, my Puerto Rico.

Former Congressman Robert ``Bob'' Garcia devoted his life to helping our nation become more open and diverse. Before 1990, being Hispanic was not even a classification in the census. Thanks to him, from 1990 on, Hispanics are now counted. Thanks to him, we now know that there are nearly 60 million Hispanics in America, over 50 million in the 50 states and over 3.4 million in Puerto Rico and the rest of our territories.

Thanks to Bob Garcia, the early divisions between African-Americans and Hispanics began to heal. Thanks to his solidarity, our nation now devotes a federal holiday to honor the most important African-American in our nation's history, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Thanks to Bob Garcia and his fellow Congressman Jack Kemp, a Republican, their good idea of creating Enterprise Zones, where poverty is fought through job creation and not through handouts, became a reality. Today I stand for the expansion of this program.

Like hundreds of thousands of Puerto Ricans, Bob Garcia served in the United States Army, in his particular case during the Korean War as a radio operator with the Third Infantry Division. Yet, like his fellow veterans on the Island, his right to vote for the President and a full- fledged delegation in the U.S. Congress was taken away the minute he moved to Puerto Rico.

On a lighter note, every time I spoke to him, he would remind me that, since his first election to Congress in 1978, he had never voted for a Republican, that is, until he voted for me, a Republican woman, to represent him as a non-voting delegate in this House.

I am honored that for three weeks, Bob was my constituent. He and his wife Jane moved a few years ago to Puerto Rico, knowing that in so doing, they, like the other 3.4 million U.S. citizens residing on the Island, would become disenfranchised. Last November, they couldn't vote for the President, U.S. senators or voting members of Congress, but they chose me to be Puerto Rico's sole elected voice in this chamber. Bob empowered me to fight to give him back his voting rights, not through relocation to the states, but in the Puerto Rico he chose to live the last days of his long, fruitful and accomplished life.

Twelve days ago, while lying in state in the territorial Capitol building, Bob Garcia was honored by the people of Puerto Rico. Today, I join my fellow members in honoring a friend and mentor who left his mark in this body and in the history of a nation. May God bless Congressman Bob Garcia and his legacy.