The White House welcomed compromise legislation drafted in the House Wednesday night to help Puerto Rico address its debt crisis but took issue with some provisions, including one that would allow companies to pay less than the federal minimum wage.
“I think it would be pretty hard for anybody to explain how exactly a 19-year-old Puerto Rican who’s making the minimum wage is somehow responsible for the situation, or should be punished as a result of the situation, or that the situation would be improved if 19-year-old Puerto Ricans who are working minimum wage got paid less,” White House spokesman Josh Earnest said about a provision that would allow Puerto Rico to pay young adults below minimum wage.
“So, no, this is not a provision that we support,” Earnest said. “And we continue to believe that additional measures are necessary to help Puerto Rico grow its economy and address this humanitarian crisis.”
But Earnest said overall that the Obama administration supports the bill.
“We believe that overall, the legislation provides a fair process for Puerto Rico to restructure its debts, enact fiscal reforms and create a foundation for economic recovery after enduring a decade of recession,” Earnest said. “I think you could say that we are supportive of this legislative proposal.”
Earnest called the minimum wage provision mean-spirited.
“Again, we’ve seen mean-spirited policy making on the part of Republicans for quite some time now; I think we’ll just file this example in a rather large file,” he charged.
“But the president has made assisting Puerto Rico and addressing their challenging economic situation a top priority,” he said. “And sometimes, getting bipartisan progress in Congress requires supporting legislation that is not perfect.”
