Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., took to the Senate floor Tuesday afternoon for a filibuster-like rant protesting the Puerto Rico bankruptcy bill that is up for a vote Wednesday.
Menendez, the son of Cuban immigrants, took to the floor at 3:23 p.m. EST to explain his five concerns with the House-passed Puerto Rico Oversight, Management, and Economic Stability Act, usually referred to as PROMESA, over the next four hours.
“This current bill snatches that from the people of Puerto Rico … that says ‘no you don’t have the right to consent to be governed … we will govern you,'” Menendez said. “An amendment I suggest would be to protect senior citizens and retirees from hands of the control board and avoid an increase to elderly poverty.”
Menendez said the bill gave prioritization of hedge funds over retirees and essential funds, would continue the cycle of disparity in healthcare funding and tax credits, and approved an inadequate $4.25 hourly minimum wage that did not include overtime protections.
