Top Obama administration officials suggested Tuesday that Republican foot-dragging on a bill to help Puerto Rico manage its debt crisis could be motivated by the GOP’s refusal to see Puerto Ricans as Americans.
“We would never accept the situation today for any group of Americans. We cannot accept it for Puerto Rico,” President Obama’s top domestic policy aide, Cecilia Munoz, said during a conference call to discuss the island’s humanitarian crisis.
“Puerto Rico is out of time and out of cash,” she said as she urged lawmakers to approve legislation that would allow Puerto Rico to restructure its debt.
Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro was also on the call after a recent visit to the U.S. territory. He said the local government’s crushing debt is preventing it from providing basic services, such as combating the Zika virus.
Government officials must choose between “measures like moving trash to keep mosquitos from breeding” and other priorities, Castro said.
“These folks are not afterthoughts,” Castro said of Puerto Rico’s 3.5 million residents. “They are Americans.”
