Velazquez Comments on U.S. House Puerto Rico Hearing

Washington, DC –Rep. Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY) commented today on a hearing being held in the U.S. House Subcommittee on Indian, Insular and Alaska Native Affairs titled “Examining procedures regarding Puerto Rico’s political status and economic outlook.” The Congresswoman noted that by focusing on the issue of Puerto Rico’s political status, the hearing would likely fail to make progress in addressing significant economic, health and environmental issues facing the island.

“With mounting debt and a weakened economy, Puerto Rico is facing some of its most challenging circumstances in recent memory, yet this hearing will do little to tackle those problems,” Velázquez noted. “Convening a hearing to talk about the island’s political status will not address shortfalls in Medicare and Medicaid, help alleviate the country’s debt problems or ameliorate the environmental problems left behind by the U.S. military.”

The hearing scheduled for Wednesday purports to examine how potential changes in the Commonwealth’s political status might impact Puerto Rico’s overall economy. However, most observers agree that changing the island’s status issue is not feasible until the Commonwealth’s debt problem is resolved. Velázquez added that the hearing constitutes a continuation of Congress’ failure to meaningfully address real problems affecting residents of Puerto Rico.

“The U.S. government has a long history of failing to meet its responsibilities when it comes to Puerto Rico,” Velázquez noted. “Most recently, the federal government has not taken necessary steps to assist the Commonwealth during its mounting financial crisis. This unequal treatment of U.S. citizens who pay the same Medicare and Social Security taxes has now left the island to endure unconscionable cuts that threaten access to basic health care services. Access to quality health care is a right, not a privilege.”

In addition to failing to address impending cuts in entitlement programs and the island’s rising debt levels, Velázquez said too little effort has been paid to addressing serious environmental legacy problems stemming from U.S. military exercises in Puerto Rico.

“There has been a decades-long pattern of delay and inaction when it comes to remediating the environmental problems of Vieques and Culebra that were left behind by the United States Navy,” she noted. “The public health problems caused by pollution at these sites cannot be ignored and the U.S. must move aggressively toward cleaning up these areas.”

Velázquez concluded by calling for a full discussion of the substantive policy issues afflicting Puerto Rico.

“I do not see how an oversight hearing on political status will help address Puerto Rico’s looming problems,” she concluded. “The challenges facing the residents of Puerto Rico and all Puerto Ricans living throughout the states demand serious answers. We should be seeing solutions debated in Committees with jurisdiction over Medicare, Medicaid and the Superfund program. Instead, Wednesday’s hearing in the Natural Resources Committee amounts to an unfortunate sideshow that will distract from truly pressing problems requiring Congressional attention.”

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