E PL UR UM IB N U U S Congressional Record United States th of America PROCEEDINGS AND DEBATES OF THE 114 CONGRESS, SECOND SESSION Vol. 162 WASHINGTON, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 20, 2016 No. 61 House of Representatives The House met at 10 a.m. and was principal and interest rates surge, gress does not intervene, ‘‘a humani- called to order by the Speaker pro tem- America’s debt service costs will in- tarian crisis will envelop the 3.5 mil- pore (Mr. DUNCAN of Tennessee). crease by $600 billion a year within a lion American citizens on the island.’’ f decade. For perspective, $600 billion is more Puerto Rico asks Congress to let DESIGNATION OF SPEAKER PRO than America spends on national de- Puerto Rico default on its legal oper- TEMPORE fense, which begs the question: Where ations via bankruptcy or force Amer- will that $600 billion in additional debt ican taxpayers to bail out Puerto The SPEAKER pro tempore laid be- Rico’s decades of financial mismanage- fore the House the following commu- service cost come from? ment. Never mind that, according to a nication from the Speaker: America must learn from financially reckless nations like Greece and Ven- 2010 Government Accountability Office WASHINGTON, DC, ezuela, and from Puerto Rico, an Amer- report, mainland American taxpayers April 20, 2016. ican territory that has had its credit already subsidize Puerto Rico to the I hereby appoint the Honorable JOHN J. DUNCAN, Jr. to act as Speaker pro tempore rating cut to junk bond status and is tune of $16 billion per year, or roughly on this day. defaulting on its $70 billion in debt. For $4,500 per Puerto Rican. emphasis, Puerto Rico owes roughly 40 PAUL D. RYAN, As Puerto Rico desperately seeks an Speaker of the House of Representatives. percent of all Puerto Rican tax collec- American taxpayer bailout, Americans tions, $4.1 billion, in debt payments f should ask: Who will bail out America this year. That is tax revenues not MORNING-HOUR DEBATE building roads, not educating children, when America defaults on its debt? The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursu- and not growing the economy. Mr. Speaker, America must learn ant to the order of the House of Janu- Puerto Rico, like America, suffers from Puerto Rico, a territory that is ary 5, 2016, the Chair will now recog- from a bloated central government, spiraling into bankruptcy and insol- nize Members from lists submitted by welfare programs that undermine the vency because of a $20,000-per-capita the majority and minority leaders for work ethic, decades of financial mis- debt burden—a debt burden, I might morning-hour debate. management by elected leaders, and a add, that is three times better than The Chair will alternate recognition resulting anemic economy and shrink- America’s $60,000-per-capita debt bur- between the parties, with each party ing job market that causes roughly den. 7,000 citizens to flee Puerto Rico each limited to 1 hour and each Member If America’s creditors stop loaning other than the majority and minority month. Only 40 percent of Puerto Ricans are America money, if America is forced to leaders and the minority whip limited go cold turkey on its debt addiction, to 5 minutes, but in no event shall de- employed or looking for work. Why bother to get a job when American tax- America could be forced to slash mili- bate continue beyond 11:50 a.m. payers pay Puerto Ricans to not work tary pay or eliminate the volunteer f by doling out free food, free health Army altogether and go back to a PUERTO RICO AND WHO WILL care, and other welfare worth $1,743 per draft, cut Social Security and Medicare BAIL OUT AMERICA? month, almost $600 more than min- benefits, and the like. imum wage take-home earnings? The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Mr. Speaker, America’s spending Puerto Rico’s debt defaults and re- binge and accompanying debt and defi- Chair recognizes the gentleman from sulting economic morass have forced cits are unsustainable. If voters do not Alabama (Mr. BROOKS) for 5 minutes. Puerto Rico to delay tax refunds, fire elect financially responsible officials to Mr. BROOKS of Alabama. Mr. Speak- public sector workers, raise sales taxes Washington, America will endure the er, America has blown through the $19 to a record 11.5 percent, and close over trillion debt mark and rapidly ap- 100 schools. same debilitating insolvency and bank- proaches the $20 trillion debt mark. Unfortunately, these austerity meas- ruptcy that wreaks havoc in Greece The nonpartisan Congressional Budg- ures, and more, are inadequate because and Puerto Rico—with one major dif- et Office warns Washington that Amer- Puerto Rico’s self-serving and finan- ference. Unlike Greece, which has been ica faces an unending string of trillion- cially irresponsible elected officials bailed out three times by the European dollar-a-year deficits beginning a mere waited too long. Puerto Rico still can- community, and unlike Puerto Rico, 6 years from now and that America’s not pay its bills or creditors. which may yet be bailed out by Amer- debt will blow through the $29 trillion Puerto Rico Governor Alejandro ican taxpayers, there is no one—no debt mark in a decade. Further, as debt Padilla recently stated that, if Con- one—who can or will bail out America. b This symbol represents the time of day during the House proceedings, e.g., b 1407 is 2:07 p.m. Matter set in this typeface indicates words inserted or appended, rather than spoken, by a Member of the House on the floor. H1855 . VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:31 Apr 21, 2016 Jkt 059060 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 4634 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\A20AP7.000 H20APPT1 smartinez on DSK9F6TC42PROD with HOUSE H1856 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE April 20, 2016 AN OPEN LETTER TO PRESIDENT to work closely with Turkey because that ing across 10,500 acres of State waters, BARACK OBAMA has been in Turkey’s interest. The same will including 30 percent of the reef tract, be true after U.S. recognition of the geno- The SPEAKER pro tempore. The denying fishing access to families and cide. professional fishermen alike, without Chair recognizes the gentleman from I dearly hope, as do millions of Armenians California (Mr. SCHIFF) for 5 minutes. descended from genocide survivors around adequate scientific evidence to back it Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Speaker, an open the world, that you take this final oppor- up. letter to President Barack Obama. tunity to call the Armenian genocide what it My Preserving Public Access to Pub- was—genocide; to say that the Ottoman Em- lic Waters Act, which passed the House Dear Mr. President: in February as part of the SHARE Act, In 2009, less than a year after assuming the pire committed this grotesque crime against Presidency, you accepted the Nobel Peace the Armenians, but their campaign of exter- and its newly introduced Senate coun- Prize. You began your acceptance of this mination failed; and that, above all, we will terpart, from Senators BILL CASSIDY honor by acknowledging that it was be- never forget and we will never again be in- and MARCO RUBIO, would help ensure stowed at the ‘‘beginning, and not the end of, timidated into silence. Let this be part of that Federal bureaucrats and special my labors on the world stage.’’ your legacy, and you will see future adminis- interest groups do not overrule local You spoke on that day with eloquence and trations follow your example. When you spoke in Oslo more than 7 years community needs and concerns in this conviction about fundamental human rights, way anymore. rights that are endowed not by accidents of ago, you closed your remarks by returning birth like nationality or ethnicity or gender, to the counsel of Dr. Martin Luther King and b 1015 but by our common humanity. And the prin- said: ‘‘I refuse to accept the idea that the ‘isness’ of man’s present condition makes If our national parks are to remain ciples that you articulated have indeed guid- absolutely American and absolutely ed and defined your Presidency. him morally incapable of reaching up for the In your foreign policy, you have empha- eternal ’oughtness’ that forever confronts democratic, then it is long since time sized the rights of ethnic and religious mi- him.’’ for the National Park Service to con- norities worldwide and put these causes clos- Mr. President, confronting painful, dif- sistently represent the Federal Govern- er to the center of our foreign policy. You ficult but vital questions ‘‘is’’ who you are. ment at its best rather than at its have extended aid to refugees fleeing horrific Help us be the America we ‘‘ought’’ to be, worst once again. violence. You established the Atrocities Pre- that beacon of freedom and dignity that The Park Service’s stated mission is vention Board to coordinate and monitor our shines its light on the darkness of human to preserve ‘‘unimpaired the natural history and exposes the vile crime of geno- efforts to prevent mass atrocities and geno- and cultural resources and values of cide. cide. Sincerely, Adam Schiff. the National Park System for the en- In a few days, you will have a chance to joyment, education, and inspiration of add to your legacy. On April 24, the world The SPEAKER pro tempore. Mem- this and future generations by cooper- will mark 101 years since the systemic exter- bers are reminded to direct their re- ating with partners to extend the bene- mination of 1.5 million Armenians by the marks to the Chair and not to a per- fits of natural and cultural resources Ottoman Empire, from 1915 to 1923.