On Wednesday Oct. 11, Members of the House of Representatives spoke on the House floor to express solidarity with the people of Puerto Rico. The following Representatives gave some remarks: Rep. Luis Gutiérrez (D-IL), Rep. Adriano Espaillat (D-NY), Rep. Glenn Thompson (R-PA), Rep. Al Green (D-TX), Rep. Jared Polis (D-CO), Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX),… Read more »
On Wednesday October 11, 2017, House Republicans held a media availability event where they addressed the disaster relief legislation that is expected to pass today. This disaster relief legislation will address the relief efforts that stemmed from the California wildfires, and Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, Maria, and Nate. The Senate intends to consider a related proposal… Read more »
On Oct. 11, Resident Commissioner Jenniffer González Colón and Governor Ricardo Rosselló informed the public that the House Appropriation Committee moved forward disaster relief legislation for Puerto Rico. This legislation, which will provide $36.4 billion in disaster relief, will include loans worth $4.9 billion to the Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands governments. The bill… Read more »
On October 3, Senator Bill Nelson introduced S. 1907. His introductory remarks follow. A copy of the bill can be read by clicking here. Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL): Mr. President, I am the Senator from Florida, along with my colleague Marco Rubio. We, of course, have been at the forefront of this terrible tragedy that… Read more »
Stamp designer Rex Davenport has an innovative idea for fundraising for disaster support in Puerto Rico: a fundraising stamp. This isn’t a completely new idea. There is a fundraising stamp for breast cancer research, for example, which has raised more than $85 million for the National Institutes of Health and the Medical Research Program at… Read more »
Members of Congress continued to speak out on behalf of their fellow U.S. citizens of Puerto Rico last week. On Thursday, October 5, 2017, the following Senators encouraged more action in relief efforts for Puerto Rico: Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ), Sen. Richard Durbin (D-IL), and Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD). On the… Read more »
Vice President Mike Pence will visit Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands today, accompanied by the Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao, Resident Commissioner Jenniffer González Colón (R-PR), and Rep. Stephanie Plaskett (D-USVI). Before arriving at both islands, Vice President Pence visited Orlando, accompanied by Sen. Ben Nelson (D-FL), and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), and gave… Read more »
U.S. senators who visited Puerto Rico Saturday had differing reactions to the requests and the territory’s needs. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) called for “a plan, a type of ‘Marshall Plan, no matter what it takes.” Fellow Democrat Richard Blumenthal (CT) contended that, “We need a financial plan immediately.” He suggested that it be developed among… Read more »
On October 3, Senator Bill Nelson introduced S. 1907. His introductory remarks follow. A copy of the bill can be read by clicking here. Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL): Mr. President, I am the Senator from Florida, along with my colleague Marco Rubio. We, of course, have been at the forefront of this terrible tragedy that… Read more »
President Trump has received a lot of criticism for the slow federal response to the damage resulting from Hurricane Maria’s landfall in Puerto Rico. Hillary Clinton suggested that Trump was unaware (as are roughly half of Americans, according to some polls) that Puerto Ricans are U.S. citizens. Trump himself explained that Puerto Rico is “an… Read more »
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