Numerous Members of Congress have pledged they would treat the United States territories of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands as equal partners to the states in terms of disaster assistance, and on Oct. 12 the House of Representatives made progress in upholding that pledge when it approved a $36.5 billion relief bill. The… Read more »
On Thursday September 28, 2017, the Natural Resources Committee Democrats sent a letter to chairman Rob Bishop requesting an oversight hearing on the administration’s response to hurricanes Irma and Maria. The Natural Resources Committee has broad jurisdiction over the insular areas of the United States, including Puerto Rico. Due to this broad jurisdiction, the Democratic… Read more »
On Wednesday, several members of Congress in both the Senate and House of Representatives expressed their support for Puerto Rico. Numerous Senators expressed their support for Puerto Rico on the Senate floor: Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY), Senator Angus King (I-ME), Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), and Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR). A significant number of Representatives also… Read more »
House Armed Services Ranking Member Adam Smith (D-WA) and Rep. Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY) led 145 Members of Congress in writing a letter to President Trump demanding that the Department of Defense deploy additional resources to aid recovery efforts in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. Lawmakers are calling for the appointment of a senior… Read more »
In the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, President Trump tweeted “Governor @RicardoRossello– We are with you and the people of Puerto Rico. Stay safe! #PRStrong.” Governor Rossello tweeted about his phone call with the president. Social media has been a hub for discussion of the hurricane among public servants and for people on the Island, who… Read more »
Last night, the U.S. Senate passed a bill to end the exemption of investment firms in Puerto Rico and other U.S. territories that do exclusive business in those islands from the Investment Company Act of 1940, giving the SEC greater jurisdiction over their activities. Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ) sponsored the bill with Sens. Orrin Hatch… Read more »
Reps. José Serrano (D-NY) and Nydia Velázquez (D-NY) have written a letter to Puerto Rico’s PROMESA Financial Oversight Board, demanding greater transparency and better stewardship of public funds. “It has come to our attention,” the New York representatives wrote, “that the Oversight Board has spent over $30 million—which comes from Puerto Rican taxpayers—for salaries, equipment,… Read more »
In the run-up to the recent status plebiscite in Puerto Rico, the Puerto Rican diaspora — people who have moved to the States from Puerto Rico and their descendants — came up in more than one context. First, there are those who believe that the diaspora should have a say in votes on the political… Read more »
The Puerto Rico financial control board in a closed meeting late yesterday rejected both the $9.256 billion budget for the territory’s central government for the fiscal year beginning Saturday and the debt restructuring agreement for the Electric Power Authority (PREPA). Both had been approved by the islands’ elected leaders, with the PREPA debt deal also… Read more »
The Puerto Rico Financial Oversight and Management Board (FOMB), created by the PROMESA law, has been the subject of a number of complaints and concerns from members of the U.S. Congress. There have also been complaints about the board directed to the U.S. Congress. On June 15, Congressman Rob Bishop (R-UT), Chairman of the House… Read more »
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