05.01.17

Natural Resources Committee Dems and Congressional Hispanic Caucus Host Forum on Puerto Rico’s Fiscal and Humanitarian Crisis

Washington, D.C. – House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and Congressional Hispanic Caucus Chairwoman Michelle Lujan Grisham (D-N.M.) will hold a joint forum tomorrow on Puerto Rico’s fiscal and humanitarian crisis. The forum will examine the human cost of the financial crisis and address options for recovery that lift people out of poverty, protect and restore worker rights, and promote economic growth.  The event is open to media and the public.

The forum comes on the heels of a looming deadline on debt restructuring negotiations between the Government of Puerto Rico and creditors. On May 1, 2017, an automatic stay on creditor lawsuits against Puerto Rico is set to expire. Given the predatory nature of vulture funds, an avalanche of lawsuits could turn Puerto Rico’s recession into a depression.  A 2015 Committee report explains how certain hedge funds are attempting to capitalize on the island’s financial difficulties at the expense of the 3.4 million U.S. citizens in Puerto Rico.

Forum Details

Title: Puerto Rico’s Ongoing Financial and Humanitarian Crisis: Economy, Debt-Restructuring, and Options for Recovery

When: Tuesday, May 2, 2017 from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. (EST)

Where: 1310 Longworth House Office Building in Washington, D.C. or tune in for the livestream, http://bit.ly/2qfXqYa

Confirmed Attendees:

  • Congressman Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.), Ranking Member of the House Natural Resources Committee and Member of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus
  • Congresswoman Michelle Lujan Grisham (D-N.M.), Chairwoman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus
  • Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez (D-N.Y.), Member of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus
  • Congressman Darren Soto (D-Fla.), Member of the House Natural Resources Committee & Congressional Hispanic Caucus
  • Congressman Luis Gutiérrez (D-Ill.), Member of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus

Witnesses:

  • Mairym Ramos, Puerto Rico Area Director SEIU International (Moderator)
  • Eric LeCompte, Executive Director of Jubilee USA Network
  • Simon Johnson, Professor of Entrepreneurship at the MIT Sloan School of Management
  • Iram Ramirez, Secretary Treasurer of the PR Federation of Labor AFL-CIO
  • Steve Kreisberg, Director of Research and Collective Bargaining Services at AFSCME International
  • Frankie Miranda, Senior Vice President, Hispanic Federation

Please contact Diane Padilla at diane.padilla@mail.house.gov (Committee) or Sandra Alcala at Sandra.alcala@mail.house.gov (CHC) to RSVP to the forum.

Press Contact

Diane Padilla (Committee)                                                         

(202) 225-6065 or (202) 306-1333 (cell)                                    

Carlos Paz (CHC)

(202) 225-6316 or (202) 897- 7718