Republicans reject Democrats' attempt to politicize Puerto Rico's recovery amid pandemic "Mr. President, you are better than that" - Republican Leader Bishop

Statement

Republicans opposed attempts by Democrats to undermine and politicize Puerto Rico's economic recovery in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, during a hearing of the Natural Resources Committee of the federal House of Representatives held yesterday afternoon.

Republican members denounced Democrats for marginalizing minority elected voices and favoring political messaging activities over the needs of the American people. Rob Bishop (R-Utah) Republican leader of the Committee and Republican leader of Insular Affairs, Jenniffer González-Colón (R-Puerto Rico), the only representative of Puerto Rico before the United States Congress, expressed the following:

"I recognize, perhaps more than any member of Congress, that PROMESA oversight is a legitimate issue within our Committee's jurisdiction. That is why it is so disappointing that this important distance hearing was held yesterday, and not in Washington. DC as we were elected to do so. I will not be intimidated by low and partisan attacks by the Democratic Chairman of this committee, during my allotted time. I will continue to fight for my people, millions of voices on the island that remain unheard in these halls of Congress that are now empty. And I will do it in a bipartisan way, as I always have for these three years. If the majority of this committee were really interested in doing bipartite work to improve PROMESA,then they would seriously consider reopening the Committee here in Washington DC and they would overcome the shameful rhetoric in which they participated yesterday. "- Rep. Jenniffer González-Colón.

President Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ) drafted controversial legislation related to the Law for the Supervision, Administration and Economic Stability of Puerto Rico (PROMESA) without the support of Representative González-Colón. During the hearing, the members and witnesses, who included the Financial Director of the Government of Puerto Rico, Omar Marrero, described the harmful impacts of the proposed bill for the recovery of the island.

After Republicans offered a motion to adjourn the Democrats' virtual hearing and bring congressmen back to work in Washington, President Grijalva, visibly frustrated, questioned Representative González-Colón's vote and then began launching attacks politicians against it.

Also during the hearing and in reaction to President Grijalva's unprecedented attack, Republican Leader Bishop declared: "Mr. President, you are better than that. You are a better person than that."

"I am deeply concerned to hear that the Chairman of this Committee shamelessly participating in partisan attacks on the Resident Commissioner during a virtual fiasco dubbed an official oversight hearing," Bishop added. "Nobody benefits when the Democratic members of the House choose to make cheap political shots and use the time of the minority to question the intentions of a representative duly elected by 3.2 million American citizens, the only representative elected by the people of Puerto Rico before Congress. What a mockery this has been and I hope that the Committee will proceed immediately to regular order so that we can finally get back to the work of the people of this country. "

Source