Floor Statements

Madam Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.

Madam Chair, I rise today to speak on behalf of my bipartisan amendment, Amendment No. 15. This bill will provide for a target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 26 to 28 percent below its 2005 level by 2025.

While I share some of my colleagues' concerns about the effectiveness of these targets and the underlying bill, I strongly believe that it is vital that Congress and the Federal Government pay particular attention to the needs of 3.5 million American citizens living in all five U.S. territories whenever it is considering and crafting policies that tackle climate risk.

My amendment will help us achieve just that. Specifically, it directs the General Accounting Office to study and submit a report to Congress on the impact of the President's plan on the U.S. territories, including the potential positive and negative implications on our economies.

In conducting this analysis, the General Accounting Office will have to consider our unique energy needs and systems and the climate risk vulnerabilities faced by communities across our islands.

U.S. territories are at the forefront of climate risks. Given our geographic location, we are particularly vulnerable to extreme weather events. Hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017, for example, completely devastated Puerto Rico

and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Typhoon Yutu did the same last year in the Northern Mariana Islands.

We are also vulnerable to rising sea levels and coastal erosion. In fact, it is estimated that approximately 60 percent of Puerto Rico's beaches show some sign of erosion, negatively impacting critical infrastructure, communities, properties, and the economies and livelihoods of coastal communities across our island.

Unlike our fellow Americans in the 48 contiguous States, we are not interconnected with a national or larger power grid. Instead, we have isolated systems with limited access to cost-effective fuel sources, heavily rely on foreign petroleum imports, and face among the highest electricity rates in the Nation.

My amendment will allow the study of whether the President's plan has any impact on addressing and tackling these issues, in terms of providing us important information to ensure we are enacting the most effective policies to help territories become more resilient.

It also allows us to study whether the President's plan is a net positive for territories and ensures it does not further raise energy costs, which will be detrimental to economic growth and development.

We need to have a comprehensive understanding of how any climate policy impacts the U.S. territories and incorporates our unique energy needs and realities.

Madam Chair, this bipartisan amendment--and I thank Congresswoman Plaskett and Congresswoman Radewagen, as well as Congressman San Nicolas of Guam, for being original cosponsors of this amendment-- offers a sensible and simple way to achieve this. That is the reason why I thank all of them for sponsoring this amendment, and I urge my colleagues to join us in supporting this amendment for the U.S. territories.

Madam Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Chair, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Shimkus).

Madam Chair, how much time do I have remaining?

Madam Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, as the Co-Chair of the bipartisan Congressional Friends of Spain Caucus, I'd like to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the first circumnavigation of the globe. On April 26, 2019, the Spanish tall ship Juan Sebastian de Elcano will arrive in Boston, Massachusetts after stops in the U.S. ports including in my district of San Juan, Puerto Rico, as it continues its voyage to commemorate Commissioned in 1928, Elcano is a training ship for the Spanish Royal Navy. This Quincentennial presents an opportunity to reflect on the beginnings of our current era of globalization. This first circumnavigation took place between 1519 and 1522 under the orders of Emperor Charles I of Spain. Started by the distinguished Portuguese captain, Ferdinand Magellan, this periplus was completed after his death mid-way through the trip by the Spaniard Juan Sebastian Elcano, the ship's name sake.

The first circumnavigation is a milestone that transformed and connected the world. This sea voyage had profound and lasting scientific repercussions by proving that the earth was in fact not only round but spherical. It not only enhanced the total sum of human knowledge but also promoted transnational interconnectivity, thereby laying the foundation for today's world, defined by economic, political, and cultural globalization.

The visit by Elcano to the United States as part of the commemoration of this transcendental event in the history of mankind, provides a great opportunity, not only to reflect on this feat, but for strengthening the already robust ties that bind Spain and the United States.

Therefore, as we salute the arrival of the tall ship Juan Sebastian de Elcano, let's take a moment to commemorate the beginning of the current era of globalization, the legacy and great achievements of expeditionary trailblazers like Magellan and Elcano, and the longstanding relationship between the United States and Spain

Mr. Chair, I rise in support of the bipartisan amendment presented by my friends Stacey Plaskett and Amata Radewagen.

As my friend just mentioned, the smaller territories are facing a challenge in the limited funds they receive to address such a large and horrific issue. Federal funds to fight violence against women and support survivors cannot be based on the ZIP Code or where you live. I do believe that any kind of violence must be addressed, regardless of the State or the territory the people are living in, giving the survivors the same access to services, intervention, and assistance.

In the fiscal years 2017 and 2018, these four territories--we are talking about the Northern Marianas, Virgin Islands, American Samoa, and Guam--received less than $60,000 to aid victims of domestic violence; and, simply put, this was not enough.

I am speaking also on behalf of my friend, Amata Radewagen, for American Samoa. And I do say that, as more women step out of the shadows to seek the assistance they need, it is our job in the Federal Government to be able to provide the tools and resources to the organizations and, more importantly, to the victims themselves.

Congress must rework the formula grant to allow these four territories access to additional funds. I encourage all my colleagues to support this amendment, and I am supporting the amendment as well.

Mr. Chair, I thank the ranking member for yielding.

Today, I rise in support of the Nutrition Assistance Program, or NAP, that is included in the bill under consideration today. NAP is the sole source of nutrition assistance and food security for over 1.3 million American citizens on the island.

After Hurricane Maria, the 115th Congress approved an additional $1.27 billion increase in Puerto Rico's NAP program in addition to the annual block grant amount of about $1.8 billion, and that means that we helped a

lot of people who have a lot of necessities.

This disaster relief allowed an increase in the benefits for the current beneficiaries as well as an increased enrollment to bring assistance to close to 153,000 new participants in the program. However, this additional assistance is currently set to be expended in March of this year, and the program's funding would then be lowered again to the base amounts associated with the block grants.

That is why, in May of last year, I submitted an amendment to H.R. 2, also known as the farm bill, to increase the amount of funding allotted to Puerto Rico's NAP.

Then, in December, we got a letter and a meeting asking for the $600 million in additional NAP funding. During the first day of Congress, we did the same thing to both the Committees of Appropriations and Rules with the same request. I thank the chairwoman of the committee for including that money in this bill.

We had a meeting in December with the Governor of Puerto Rico and the minority leader and the chairwoman asking for this $600 million increase in Puerto Rico's NAP program, so we really need this money to be included and to be available until fiscal year 2020.

This bill also contains an important provision for Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands as well, extending the 100 percent Federal cost share for assistance under the Stafford Act for the disasters in the territories to rebuild to the current standards. That was included in the last provision last Congress.

Having this extension is important in order to maximize the resources. This is critical since the losses caused by these disasters left our communities in no position to cover matching fund requirements, and, believe me, the hurricane was worse than this going down. So this bill, especially, will be important for my constituents.

I am a little bit disappointed that the continuing resolution was attached to the bill. I do support the reopening of the government; however, this should be not the vehicle for it. This disaster supplemental was intended to help people to recover and rebuild from natural disasters.

I really appreciate the good faith effort of all involved here to help those struck by natural disasters--not just in Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and Florida, but the fires in California as well-- especially in Puerto Rico; however, it is my hope that this becomes a clean bill between the House and Senate that can be signed by the President.

Madam Chair, I rise as the designee of the gentlewoman from American Samoa (Mrs. Radewagen), and I have an amendment at the desk.

Madam Chair, today, I rise to offer an amendment to increase the nutritional assistance funding amount of

the bill by $5 million so the bill can include American Samoa in the emergency appropriation due to the damage caused by Cyclone Gita in February of last year.

The 100 mile-per-hour winds of Cyclone Gita wiped out an entire growing season for the American Samoan people, a rural community that largely depends on subsistence farming. Staple crops of bananas, breadfruit, and taro were lost wholesale, which led to an enormous drain on the islands' small nutritional assistance grant.

These funds are vital to sustain the basic local population and help fulfill the basic nutritional assistance needs of the American Samoan population. By approving this amendment, approximately 6,000 people in the territory will benefit and will have greater access to food security.

Madam Chair, I believe that including American Samoa in the disaster bill will do what the people need there. I ask for your support for this emergency provision to benefit the people of American Samoa, on behalf of Congresswoman Amata Radewagen.

Madam Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, today I introduced the Child Tax Credit Equity for Puerto Rico Act of 2019.

Under current law, in Puerto Rico, the child tax credit only applies to families who are raising three or more children.

In comparison, families living in the mainland are able to use this credit for having even one or two children. Small families consisting of one or two children in Puerto Rico are excluded from receiving this necessary benefit.

The purpose of the child tax credit is to be a tool to help families offset the expenses of raising children and raise themselves out of poverty.

Mississippi has the highest poverty level of any State. Puerto Rico's poverty rate, now at 45 percent, is 178 percent higher than Mississippi.

According to the Census Bureau, the lowest household income of Puerto Rico is $19,000 a year, compared to $43,000 in the State of Mississippi and $61,000, average, in the whole mainland.

This proposal will help Puerto Rico's economy and benefit about 355,000 families and more than 404,000 children in Puerto Rico.

I urge my colleagues to support and pass this bill, and I thank Congressmen Jose Serrano, Fitzpatrick, and Duffy for being original cosponsors of this bill.

Mr. Speaker, healthcare infrastructure in Puerto Rico remains dangerously unstable. Unlike the mainland, most Medicare beneficiaries with part A and part B coverage receive their care through local Medicare Advantage plans.

In 2011, Puerto Rico's per patient, per month was $595, and now it is $511. The national average was $787, and now it is $826. That is a negative impact of $315 for Puerto Rico. That means that, next year, the average Medicare Advantage rate for Puerto Rico is even 25 percent below the other territories and 43 percent below the national rates.

This is the reason why physicians and medical providers are leaving the island. That is the reason we filed H.R. 6809, which will rectify this disparity with Medicare Advantage rates. That is the reason I ask my colleagues to support this bill

Mr. Speaker, today, I rise to express my utter disappointment with the inclusion of extending the prohibition of cockfighting in the territories in the farm bill before us today.

While there are a lot of provisions that will benefit the largest constituency of any House Member, for over 3 million American citizens living in Puerto Rico, the inclusion of this amendment will detract from the other high points of this bill.

This bill will improve accessibility to grants and programs on the island, and for that, I am extremely grateful and confident that this will help my constituents.

But, on the other hand, since 2002, the farm bill has included the very

same wording about the Animal Welfare Act, and it will allow the States to manage and regulate this practice in the territories. For the case of Puerto Rico, we have been regulating the industry of cockfighting since 1933.

This is an industry that represents more than $18 million in our economy and also more than 27,000 direct and indirect jobs on the island. So we are talking about how distressful the economic situation on the island is, but then we are approving another Federal regulation without even consulting the people of Puerto Rico or even the territories.

In our case, we were not even allowed to vote for that amendment here on the floor, neither in the Senate. So territories will never have a word if we cannot vote, if we are not represented.

But also, limiting this activity will also provide a lot of these industries to go underground, and that will hurt directly the economy of the island. For that reason, I invite any Member who wishes to come to Puerto Rico and see how regulated the cockfighting industry is to come and visit.

I fear that the language that is adopted will turn some underground, and overburdensome laws and regulations on the island, as they always do--and we are going to see a black market pop up and encounter more harm than good, not just to the birds of those who participate, but also for the industry itself.

For me, it is troubling that the territories were not given a proper chance to even debate this issue. We were not consulted in the drafting of this amendment or at any committee markup or as a congressional courtesy. I represent 3.2 million American citizens on the island, but I can't vote on the floor. I don't have any representation on the Senate side. But then we have another regulation coming to the island without even giving us an opportunity to debate it or an opportunity to actually vote against it. I think even the Constitution of the United States allows States to regulate and reserve those powers to the States. We can't even challenge or sue the Federal Government with this, because the constitutional amendment provided that the territories are just a possession of the U.S. Congress and Congress can do whatever they want with us.

That will affect directly the industry of the island. We are talking about not just the rules of construction of venues, penalties for events, public behavior at cockfights, the rules that have been engaged since 1933.

This is an industry, as I already said, that the government of Puerto Rico, House, Senate, and even the Governor are opposed to have this ban on cockfighting. I think this should be an issue reserved for the States as is happening right now in the current farm bill, and I hope we can have the opportunity to discuss this, any other opportunity, even having a hearing on this issue.

My constituents are concerned with how this prohibition will hurt them and their families, and it is my responsibility to advocate for them the same as the territories of the United States. We are all against this provision.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the chairman for allowing me, even when I am opposed to one of the provisions, to speak about it.

As you may know, this bill has a lot of good things and good provisions for all the States and for the territories as well, but there is one provision that we are not allowed to even discuss in a public hearing, and that is the prohibition, or ban, to cockfights in the territories.

The current farm bill allowed territories to have and regulate that industry. In the case of Puerto Rico, that represents more than $18 million in revenues and taxes. We are on the brink of a lot of financial situations, and now this regulation will put another burden on the people of the island.

So I am against that prohibition, mostly because the people of Puerto Rico have regulated the industry of cockfighting since 1933. So this is something that is not only affecting Puerto Rico, but the rest of the territories, as we have been facing this kind of industry and sport.

We don't have the votes in the Senate. We can't vote on the floor of the House. So our people are not fiscally represented, and as well Congress is taking an action that would put another burden on our economy.

Mr. Speaker, I reiterate my opposition, and the people of Puerto Rico, against that provision, but in favor of the rest of the bill.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the honorable Delegate from Guam (Ms. Bordallo) for taking this initiative to present H.R. 6665, and Chairman Bishop and Ranking Member Grijalva for having moved this legislation to continue to extend equal treatment to the American community of citizens in the territories.

It has been a privilege to join in on bipartisan proposals for applying, uniformly, the Federal laws for the benefit of the people of our territories. Equal treatment for all American communities is a goal that should be shared by all in this Congress, and we will continue to seek it.

America's continued prosperity requires a modernized energy system that makes the best use of all the domestic resources available, including expanding use of wind in our domestic waters.

Puerto Rico has directly experienced the need to have better energy infrastructure in place. Today, only 2 percent of our energy in Puerto Rico comes just from renewable sources. Our plans for long-term recovery of our electric grid include a much higher reliance on renewable energy to reduce environmental impact and increase efficiency.

Since, today, many of the territories rely on expensive diesel- or fuel oil-generation systems, an integration of greater diversity of generating sources will provide them greater flexibility in their development plans.

At the same time, however, this upgrade on our generation's sources should be conducted in each jurisdiction based on its technical, economic, and environmental viability and rely more on private investment participation instead of taxpayer funding.

This legislation will direct the Department of the Interior to study what is the viability of Continental Shelf wind resources off the shore of the territories. If the result is positive, then the Department of the Interior will initiate the process of auctioning the leasing rights for such projects on the same basis as for the waters outside the States. If such development proceeds, 2.5 percent of the revenues collected will be reserved for coral reef protection and 37.5 percent for the respective territory for environmental remediation uses.

This way is the better way to develop energy resources and provide, also, funding for the territories to take their own measures for securing better environmental conditions. I expect the House will support this effort to bring uniform treatment to all jurisdictions under the American flag in an important area of policy, which is energy, and open up investment and development opportunities to all of us.

Once again, I want to thank my colleague from Guam (Ms. Bordallo) and the chairman of the committee for having this bill, and, of course, for their support and legacy on behalf of equal treatment for Puerto Rico and the territories.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for allowing me to speak on behalf of this resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I really believe this is important. Puerto Ricans feel very proud of the legacy of Roberto Clemente. He was not just a local hero, but a national hero, both in the arena and in his life. Actually, that is the reason, when Puerto Rico becomes a State, it will be the recommendation for one of his statues to be sent to the capital. He is a figure that united Puerto Rico.

I rise today to express my strongest support for H. Res. 792, introduced by my good friend and colleague, Jose Serrano. This resolution will urge the Secretary of the Interior to recognize the significance of the place of death of Puerto Rican baseball star Roberto Clemente, located near Pinones in Loiza, Puerto Rico, by adding it to the National Register of Historic Places.

Roberto Clemente, as I said, was a hero and role model in Puerto Rico and across the nation. Throughout his distinguished career, he won two Major League Baseball World Series Championships, was named Most Valuable Player, and was an All-Star for 12 seasons. Clemente also served this Nation as a United States Marine Corps Reservist.

Roberto Clemente was committed to caring and helping those in need. In the aftermath of a devastating earthquake in 1972, he decided to travel to Nicaragua to provide humanitarian aid. His plane crashed shortly after departing Puerto Rico, and he tragically passed at the age of 38.

That is the reason his family, still in Puerto Rico, started a foundation. Many schools have his name on it, but he also has the legacy of supporting young people to play baseball and commit to their communities and be better in society. Clemente was that role model.

He was a great humanitarian and great athlete. He was the embodiment of a baseball legend who contributed to the betterment of society. I am glad that this House is honoring his legacy by considering H. Res. 792.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation. I thank Congressman Serrano for allowing this recognition that unites hundreds of people not only in Puerto Rico, but for sports all over. I also thank Chairman Bishop for supporting this, although I was expecting him to have the numbers of his baseball career.

Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record the following Proclamation in recognition of the life and legacy of Mr. Jaime Benitez Rexach:

Whereas, Mr. Jaime Benitez Rexach was Puerto Rico's leading scholar for nearly 70 years, becoming a major influence on Puerto Rican and American education as chancellor and then president of the University of Puerto Rico;

Whereas, Mr. Jaime Benitez Rexach made it possible for the University of Puerto Rico to become a first-rate institution, serving communities across the island, and bringing talent from all over the world to teach and learn in Puerto Rico;

Whereas, Mr. Jaime Benitez Rexach's role in shaping the curriculum at the University of Puerto Rico paved the way for his membership on the United States' National Commission for the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) from 1948 to 1954;

Whereas, Mr. Jaime Benitez Rexach made a significant contribution to the development of Puerto Rico's local government and territorial constitution, by chairing the constitutional convention's commission that wrote the island's Bill of Rights;

Whereas, Mr. Jaime Benitez Rexach served as Puerto Rico's 12th Resident Commissioner in Congress, representing and providing a voice for the territory's American citizens from 1973 to 1977;

Whereas, as a Member of Congress, Mr. Jaime Benitez Rexach continued his longstanding commitment to improve the island's and the Nation's education system by serving on the House Committee on Education and Labor;

Whereas, Mr. Jaime Benitez Rexach was an outstanding educator, patriot, and public servant, whose contributions continue to shape the fabric of American society; and

Whereas, celebrating Mr. Jaime Benitez Rexach's legacy contributes to the strength and culture of our Nation; now, therefore, I, Congresswoman Jenniffer Gonzalez-Colon, do hereby attest to the 115th Congress that Mr. Jaime Benitez Rexach is deserving of national and congressional recognition.

Proclaimed, this 23rd day of October, 2018.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Congressman Katko for leading this effort today. I want to thank the chairman of the committee and Ranking Member Thompson for supporting this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak on behalf of my bill, H.R. 5869, the Maritime Border Security Review Act.

As we move to secure our borders, it is imperative that we confront the threats posed by criminal and drug trafficking organizations seeking to enter the Nation through our maritime frontier. Illicit trafficking through the transit zone, a 7-million-square-mile area, includes the sea corridors of the western Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean Sea, the Gulf of Mexico, and the eastern Pacific Ocean. This is the transit zone.

According to the Coast Guard, the total known flow of undocumented migrants attempting to enter the U.S. by maritime routes in 2017 was almost 4,800 individuals. The known cocaine flow throughout the transit zone reached about 2,700 metric tons in 2017.

This bill also addresses the public safety challenges faced by Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, the only two U.S. territories located geographically within the transit zone.

The United States' Caribbean border has long been exploited as both a destination and a transshipment point for illicit drugs shipped to the mainland, endangering the lives of Americans in the two territories, but also in the continental U.S. About two-thirds of the cocaine transiting the Caribbean in early 2016 was destined for the U.S., most of it being smuggled through Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

In 2017, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers seized about 66,000 pounds of narcotics in and around Puerto Rico from drug cartels and smugglers. And let me tell you something: The CBP, or the Customs and Border Patrol, is outside the mainland. So this is the only CBP office outside the mainland operating not just in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, but our frontier with Venezuela and the whole Caribbean. The year 2017 was a record high for drug smugglers over the previous year.

Last year's devastating hurricane season disrupted interdiction efforts in the United States' maritime border. According to the 2019 Threat Assessment from the Puerto Rico/U.S. Virgin Islands High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area, the damage inflicted by the storms severely diminished the operational capabilities of local and Federal law enforcement on both islands.

The U.S. Coast Guard recently testified before the U.S. Senate that responding in force to the hurricanes meant fewer resources for drug interdiction and border protection. They also admitted that, despite their best efforts, they have struggled to keep up with the volume of illicit traffic due to a shortage of planes, ships, helicopters, and resources, further highlighting the needs at our maritime border.

H.R. 5869 would help us better understand these and other challenges the United States faces along its maritime border by requiring the Secretary of Homeland Security to conduct a detailed threat analysis of the region. These assessments must include the terrorism and criminal threats posed by those seeking to enter the U.S. throughout the maritime border; improvements needed at all U.S. seaports to reduce criminal activity; and all vulnerabilities in law that prevent effective border security, similar to those recently released in the Northern Border Threat Analysis of 2017 that were approved by the House of Representatives.

The Secretary of Homeland Security must consider technology and personnel needs, the role of State and local enforcement in border security activities, the geographic challenges of the region, and the impact of last year's hurricanes on general border security activities.

Protecting and ensuring the safety of the American people both on the mainland and in the territories is very important not just for me, but for all of us, and should be one of our priorities. An assessment of the threats posed at our Nation's maritime border will help us achieve just that. The reason behind this bill is to promote that kind of analysis.

I want to thank Chairman McCaul, Ranking Member Thompson, and Congressmen Katko and Perry for their leadership in assisting and moving forward this legislation, and I urge my colleagues to support

Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Roe for, first of all, visiting the island. This is the first time ever the Committee on Veterans' Affairs ever visited Puerto Rico. I thank the gentleman for that, for his leadership, and for his commitment, and the ranking member's commitment, during the last months.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak in support of my bill, H.R. 5938, the Veterans Serving Veterans Act of 2018. This bill seeks to alleviate chronic staffing shortages that currently affect the Department of Veterans Affairs, which hinders their ability to serve our veterans in an effective and timely manner.

This issue never fails to come up during those meetings with veterans residing in Puerto Rico and is often discussed by my colleagues here in the House. H.R. 5938 seeks a remedial option to this issue by doing two things.

First, amending section 208 of the VA Choice and Quality Employment Act of 2017 to include the military occupational specialties of soon- to-be discharged servicemembers that correspond to vacant positions at the VA in the recruiting database, as well as servicemembers' contact information and the date of discharge. Inclusion in the database is completely optional for those servicemembers. If included, they will potentially be matched for vacant positions at the VA that correspond with the skills they acquired with the Department of Defense.

Second, the bill will also require the VA to implement a program to train

and certify former Department of Defense healthcare technicians as intermediate care technicians, ICTs, to address the large demand for healthcare providers at the Veterans Health Administration.

These very skilled technicians trained by the DOD have difficulty gaining employment in their field after separating from the Armed Forces due to the lack of a certification. At the same time, the VHA has a significant shortage of providers. The ICT program has a high satisfaction rate and helps fill this void.

Servicemembers are a remarkable asset upon transitioning from the Department of Defense. We should do everything we can do to foster this transition and facilitate this opportunity to our men and women in uniform to serve our veterans.

Mr. Speaker, I need to again thank Chairman Roe for his leadership. For me, it is an honor to serve on this committee with a gentleman who has this commitment and who works in a bipartisan manner with Ranking Member Walz and Congressman Takano. I thank the gentlemen for their support. It is an honor to improve so many bills like this with these amendments.

Their leadership and assistance in moving this bill forward make us all proud, so I urge all my colleagues to vote in favor of this bill.

Mr. Speaker, on June 27, I was joined by more than 40 Members of this House in introducing H.R. 6246, the Puerto Rico Admission Act of 2018. That number has since grown to almost 50 Members. This is truly a bipartisan bill that sets forth a transition process that will result in the formal admission of Puerto Rico as a State of the Union, on an equal footing and in true permanent union with the rest of the States.

H.R. 6246 would constitute Congress' long overdue response to the citizens of Puerto Rico who, twice in the past 6 years, have overwhelmingly voted by 97 percent and 61 percent margins expressing their political will to join their fellow Americans as equal in our Union.

After 120 years under the U.S. flag and 101 years as American citizens, Puerto Ricans remain disenfranchised and trapped in a second- class status that denied us the same rights and responsibilities as our fellow citizens in the States.

Puerto Ricans do not enjoy a democratic form of government at the national level because we can't vote for the President and the Vice President of the United States. We don't have a voting representation here in this Congress that every day passes laws that affect us and affect our future. That lack of a democratic form of government at the local level is due to Congress passing PROMESA in 2016, severely limiting the powers of the duly-elected government of the island.

This lack of full participation in the Federal Government that enacts the laws and the rules that Puerto Ricans live under, combined with the absolute power of the U.S. Congress under our Article IV, section 3, clause 2 of the Constitution to treat us equally under those laws has proven to be a fundamental limitation on the fulfillment of our potential as a people.

The combination of these inequities, which were unmasked and further exacerbated by last year's historic hurricanes, has led to incoherent and arbitrary Federal policies that have limited the island's opportunities to maximize our full economic potential.

I am certain that not even one of my stateside colleagues in this Congress would accept a territorial status like Puerto Rico's for their own constituents. It is my hope that all of them will recognize and respect that the people of Puerto Rico are no longer willing to accept it either.

I also trust that my colleagues will credit Puerto Rico for aspiring to have the first-class citizenship and equality they have been denied for over a century, with the same rights and responsibilities as their fellow citizens in the States.

My constituents might not have a vote in the government that makes their national laws, but they have a voice. They made that voice heard loud and clear not just once, but twice.

Every Member who supports H.R. 6246 will send a clear message that he or she is standing up for a powerful principle: that the people of Puerto Rico are American citizens who have, in war and peace, made countless contributions and greatly enriched the life of this Nation for generations.

More than 250,000 Puerto Ricans have served in our military forces and bravely fought in every conflict since the Great War, side by side with the citizens of other States, defending our democratic values all over the world. Yet, they are denied the right to vote for their Commander in Chief.

A disproportionately large number of them have made the ultimate sacrifice in battle. When they do, their caskets are flown back to this country, draped in an American flag that contains just 50 stars, but none of those represent them and represent Puerto Rico.

Furthermore, those who are fortunate to return to the island and join the ranks of the more than 100,000 veterans living on the island encounter a system that discriminates against them and treats them as second-class citizens.

Furthermore, because of these longstanding inequities, in the last 10 years alone, more than 400,000 Puerto Ricans have relocated to the States in the search for equality.

That is the equality we are looking for in this bill, a truly bipartisan bill that will let Puerto Rico become the 51st State of the Nation.

I urge my colleagues to join me in this bill and acknowledge the situation in Puerto Rico and let us become first-class U.S. citizens.

Madam Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.

Madam Chair, this amendment calls on the Army Corps of Engineers to consider urgently and favorably those projects and proposals pending before them for flood control, dam repair, beach erosion, and harbor navigation in Puerto Rico, as well as for the repair and mitigation required in the aftermath of Hurricanes Irma and Maria and, more specifically, that the Secretary should advance the project for ecosystem restoration at Cano Martin Pena in San Juan.

Between projects that had been proposed or planned before the disaster and those resulting from the disaster, the Army Corp of Engineers has before its consideration over 45 different projects or proposals for flood and erosion control for protection of life and property on the island. These projects are in all sorts of phases, from initial studies to planning, to pending construction start, to waiting for the next phase to be funded, and to inactive projects that may be reactivated.

While we wait for decisions, we have towns like Toa Baja where, during the last hurricane in September, more than 12,000 families were flooded out of their homes. Every decade, that kind of town suffers losses from different kinds of floods while there is a project already designed and approved that could have greatly mitigated that kind of a hazard and by now would have cost less than the accumulated losses from the last hurricane.

Those are the kinds of projects that are already approved by the Army Corps in that part of this amendment. In Ciales and Guayanilla, the mayors have gathered the studies and plans, but it has not yet been made part of the Corps schedule.

Among the works that merit special attention is the Cano Martin Pena Project, which has been an example of community partnership and has been an important part of the Corps' program in Puerto Rico, for the ecosystem restoration, protection of lives in the community, and control of flooding in an area that extends from the San Juan business district to the international airport.

The community has been an outstanding local partner, showing great drive to move forward their part of the program, but the project has been very slow because of the limited funding by phases.

It is important at this point in time as we face a new hurricane season that our people get the sense of urgency from the Federal Government. When you know that the next storm is coming and danger is on the horizon, you will also want to know that the necessary work has been done. That is the reason this amendment is so important, and that is the reason I encourage all my colleagues to support this amendment.

Madam Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. Chairman, this amendment is among the reports that the Corps of Engineers should expedite completion of. It is for the navigation project for San Juan Harbor.

This is another amendment for the release of a study that has been waiting for more than 12 years. These reports follow from a study authorized by a resolution of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure on September 20, 2006. This is a project that has been approved and, according to the Corps, could enter the engineering and design phase within 1 or 2 years, once the reports and reviews are finally in.

It will increase the main channel depth to 44 feet and make it 100 feet wider, along with other modifications, to allow a safer and more efficient movement of traffic in the Harbor of San Juan and increasing economic activity at a time when the Puerto Rico economy needs every boost it can get. As everybody knows, during the last hurricane, the movement of ships was one of the biggest problems.

This would specifically be of importance in the case of a future emergency contingency. As we saw during the last year, one of the problems that arose was the congestion when needing to move those shipments. In the aftermath of hurricanes and flooding events, it becomes even more necessary, due to the incursion of debris and erosion from the surrounding bodies of water, which accelerate the natural deterioration of the harbor.

This is a project that has been approved and programmed. The amendment, again, is so that the reports on the studies performed over the many years will finally be completed so that the next stage of engineer and design can proceed. This is an infrastructure that needs to be up and running for the creation of American jobs and to prevent future damage.

I urge my colleagues to support this amendment. Remember, one of the main problems on the island is the energy situation. We are an island. So we are importing all of the coal and all of the oil. If we want to move to an LNG facility, we need to have a wider and a deeper port. This is one of those biggest efforts. If we got this kind of study, we can have those ports and have those ships coming from the States and have a better opportunity to improve our economy and have more goods and materials arriving to the island.

Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.