Luis Gutiérrez

Mr. GUTIERREZ

Mr. GUTIERREZ. Mr. Speaker, I was unavoidably absent in the House Chamber for Roll Call votes 653 and 654 on Monday, December 4, 2017. Had I been present, I would have voted Nay on Roll Call vote 653 and Yea on Roll Call vote 654. I believe that both the House and Senate GOP tax bills are an attack on the middle class and only serve to benefit the wealthiest in our nation. The GOP tax plan would raise taxes on millions of families and students, send jobs overseas, devastate our health care system, and overwhelm future generations with crushing debt. I stand with my Democratic colleagues in opposing this plan and urge the enactment of tax reform that puts working Americans first.

Mr. GUTIERREZ

Mr. GUTIERREZ. Mr. Speaker, I was unavoidably absent in the House Chamber for rollcall votes 655, 656, and 657 on Tuesday, December 5, 2017. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall votes 655 and 656, and I would have voted ``nay'' on rollcall vote 657.

Mr. GUTIERREZ

Mr. GUTIERREZ. Mr. Speaker, I was unavoidably absent in the House chamber for Roll Call vote 642 on Thursday, November 30, 2017. Had I been present, I would have voted Yea on Roll Call vote 642.

Mr. GUTIERREZ

Mr. GUTIERREZ. Mr. Speaker, I was unavoidably absent in the House Chamber for Roll Call votes 638 and 639 on Tuesday, November 28, 2017. Had I been present, I would have voted Yea on Roll Call vote 638 and Nay on Roll Call vote 639.

Mr. GUTIERREZ

Mr. GUTIERREZ. Mr. Speaker, I was unavoidably absent in the House chamber for roll call votes 623, 624, and 625 on Monday, November 13, 2017. Had I been present, I would have voted ``Yea'' on roll call vote 624, and ``Nay'' on roll call votes 623 and 625.

Mr. GUTIERREZ

Mr. GUTIERREZ. Mr. Speaker, I was unavoidably absent in the House Chamber for Roll Call votes 623, 624, and 625 on Monday, November 13, 2017. Had I been present, I would have voted Yea on Roll Call votes 623 and 624, and Nay on Roll Call vote 625.

Mr. GUTIERREZ

Mr. GUTIERREZ. Mr. Speaker, Monday I returned from my third trip to Puerto Rico since Hurricane Maria devastated the island almost 2 months ago. I wish I could report that a lot of progress is being made, but I can't. It is still a disaster, and it is a stain on the reputation of the United States of America. Most places don't have power. Generators, the sound you hear humming in every corner of the island like metallic coquis, are running ragged from overuse. In many places, the water is not on because the power is not on to pump it, and drinkable water mixes with sewer water all over the island. As you can see from this picture, people are tapping mountain springs and, in this case, are using it mostly for laundry, thank goodness, because the mountain water in many cases is contaminated from humans and animals. This man is a police officer, first responder, but he is learning to make do just like every other Puerto Rican family. Everywhere you go, you see Puerto Ricans making do. So think about your life without power, cell service, water, lights, fans, in some cases food. Imagine the dialysis patient or the elderly man in an electric wheelchair who uses oxygen tanks to breathe. I met those people in Puerto Rico. How do you get to physical therapy or regular prenatal visits when there are still roads and bridges that have simply vanished? On the one hand, when I am in Puerto Rico, I am confronted by the very best of mankind, the people who are helping strangers, feeding their neighbors, and pitching in wherever they can. On the other hand, when I am in Puerto Rico, I am confronted with the human tragedy of people who, like all of us, depend on the government for basic assistance and help after a major disaster and have received nothing. Yes, the damage is massive, but there is no task Americans cannot accomplish if we put our minds and backs into it. Mr. Speaker, this is the Head Start building in Loiza. As you can see, the roof is torn up and there is metal sheeting that was blown around. The people in Loiza are forming a brigade to rebuild the structure so they can reopen the Head Start building. One of the things I was doing in Loiza was bringing money to get them started, raised by the Puerto Rican Agenda in Chicago from the people of Chicago. Individuals in Chicago are investing in the well-being of people in Loiza. They have never met them, but they are investing in them. They are not calling in expensive contractors or companies from Montana, and they are not waiting for the folks from FEMA or the U.S. military. They are not waiting for Donald Trump to grant Puerto Ricans a little more time now that he has made it clear that he will not personally give them his grade A help forever. Nope. The people of Chicago are getting help to the people of Puerto Rico before any official resources are coming to their rescue. It boggles the mind that it has come to this. Here is another more difficult case. A bridge and a road were washed away by the storm. This is near Jayuya, Puerto Rico, but it could be almost anywhere on the island. More than 6 weeks after the storm and nothing, not even orange cones or a guardrail to keep people from driving off into danger. If you live up the side of this hill, you are not going anywhere any time soon until something changes, because the Army Corps of Engineers has decided just to not show up and are missing in action. Mr. Speaker, I should not have to give this speech almost 2 months after the storm. We should have accomplished much more. The people of Puerto Rico pretty much understand that President Trump doesn't want to help them and really doesn't care. The passports and documents that they have that say citizens of the United States should have been printed with small print that says: Yes, Puerto Ricans are citizens of the U.S. for the purposes of being drafted and going to war, but not when it comes to being helped. Puerto Ricans are coming to grips with how little they can expect from the President and his administration. They are finding ways to make do, just as the people of Chicago are making do by sending their own help in their own way. It shouldn't have had to come to this, but it has. Puerto Ricans are learning to make do, just like these two young women who are getting married on the beach in Vega Alta, Cerro Gordo. I met them. They let me take this picture. Life goes on, even when the government has turned its back on them.

Mr. GUTIERREZ

Mr. GUTIERREZ. Mr. Speaker, I was unavoidably absent in the House chamber for Roll Call votes 607, 608, and 609 on Monday, November 6, 2017. Had I been present, I would have voted Yea on Roll Call votes 607 and 608, and Nay on Roll Call vote 609.

Mr. GUTIERREZ

Mr. GUTIERREZ. Mr. Speaker, I was unavoidably absent in the House chamber for votes on Friday, November 3, 2017. Had I been present, I would have voted Yea on Roll Call vote 605 and Nay on Roll Call vote 606. I was absent in the House Chamber due to travelling to the devastated island of Puerto Rico in the wake of Hurricane Maria. A vote was called on the floor for H.R. 3922 to reauthorize the Children's Health Insurance Program and other public health initiatives under the Affordable Care Act. I would have voted Nay on this legislation because this bill would raise premiums for seniors, limit benefits for Medicaid recipients and slash grace periods from 90 days to 30 days, which would result in thousands of Americans losing their healthcare. Furthermore, this bill funds a mere $1 billion dollars to Puerto Rico in the midst of a dire crisis on the island.

Mr. GUTIERREZ

Mr. GUTIERREZ. Mr. Speaker, I was unavoidably absent in the House chamber for Roll Call vote 591 on Tuesday, October 31, 2017. Had I been present, I would have voted Yea on Roll Call vote 591.

Mr. GUTIERREZ

Mr. GUTIERREZ. Mr. Speaker, there is something fishy about the Whitefish Energy deal that was reported in The Washington Post. Whitefish Energy, based in Whitefish, Montana, was awarded a $300 million contract to repair and replace the electrical grid in Puerto Rico. We learned that the company is 2 years old and, as of about 6 weeks ago, had just two employees. It does not have a track record of working on massive projects, certainly not one as massive as rebuilding the power grid in Puerto Rico after a once-in-a-century storm like Hurricane Maria. The Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority did not solicit bids for this contract. They did not do what most power utilities do under these circumstances, which is rely on mutual assistant relationships with other power companies. In Florida and in Texas--and in Illinois, for that matter--after a big storm, power companies from around the country send linemen and other workers to assist the local company. But that is not happening here. The Florida Power and Light Company brought in 20,000 workers after Irma and, apparently, was willing to send workers to Puerto Rico and help, but the request for help never came. So what is going on here? A tiny company that does not have a track record gets one of the biggest contracts to help rebuild Puerto Rico in a no-bid, out-of-the- ordinary contracting procedure. That is why I wrote yesterday to Attorney General Jeff Sessions and FBI Director Christopher Wray, because I want them to investigate this deal, how it was awarded, why this company got the contract, and whether there is any evidence of it being a sweetheart, corrupt deal to boost business allies and political allies of the President and members of his Cabinet. I also plan to bring this issue up to the Oversight Committees in this body. On the surface, the Whitefish Energy deal looks fishy, but when you look a little deeper, the Whitefish Energy deal looks corrupt. Whitefish Energy is based in Whitefish, Montana. Guess what. That is the hometown of Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, who used to represent Montana in this body. His son even worked for the company. The chief executive of Whitefish Energy, Andy Techmanski, knows Secretary Zinke; but as a spokesperson for the Interior Department said yesterday, in Whitefish, ``everybody knows everybody.'' Guess what. That doesn't make me feel any better about the deal. Go a little deeper and you find out that Whitefish Energy is financed by HBC Investments, which is a private equity firm founded by Joe Colonnetta, who holds the title of general partner. The Daily Beast reported that Colonnetta gave $20,000 to the Trump Victory PAC, maxed out on contributions to Trump for his Presidential campaign in the primaries and general elections, about $32,000, then another $30,000 that he gave to the Republican National Committee. Kimberly Colonnetta, his wife, was also a maximum donor, meaning she gave the maximum allowed by law during the 2016 election to Trump and his various committees. Now, please look here, and the pictures are right off the Internet. They certainly add additional evidence to the idea that Whitefish and the Colonnettas are pretty chummy with our President and his Cabinet. Right here is Mr. Colonnetta with the President of the United States, the two Colonnettas at the inauguration, and a picture of Mrs. Colonnetta with Ben Carson, one of the President's Cabinet members. Don't forget, all you kids out there watching at home on C-SPAN, what you post on Facebook stays there forever. Now, I know that not everything that looks corruption is in fact corruption. Sometimes what looks fishy on the surface turns out to be legit, but most of the time, you know what, it turns out to be corruption. The reason this matters so much is that, without electricity, we can't get water restored to the people of Puerto Rico. Water doesn't flow uphill without pumps, and those pumps need power. You cannot live without water; you die. Dialysis machines, electrical wheelchairs, refrigeration for baby formula, insulin for diabetics, chemotherapy for those with cancer all require electricity. It is a matter of life and death. I was just there and saw the suffering of the people in the villages and towns across the island of Puerto Rico. Without electricity, we cannot get Puerto Ricans back to work rebuilding their island and beginning to end the suffering. Look, the last thing we and the people of Puerto Rico need right now is a fat cat lining his pockets with money because they are well connected.

Mr. GUTIERREZ. That money should be saving lives, not ending them.

Mr. GUTIERREZ. That is why I demand the FBI and the Attorney General investigate.

Mr. GUTIERREZ

Mr. GUTIERREZ. Mr. Speaker, I was unavoidably absent in the House chamber for Roll Call votes 569, 570, and 571 on Monday, October 23, 2017. Had I been present, I would have voted Yea on Roll Call votes 569 and 570, and Nay on Roll Call vote 571.

Mr. GUTIERREZ

Mr. GUTIERREZ. Mr. Speaker, shortly after the President returned from his trip to Puerto Rico, I received a shipment in my office of paper towels. It didn't come with a note or an explanation, just 12 rolls of Viva. I guess there is a little irony maybe because it is in Spanish. Maybe after watching the President entertain himself by tossing paper towels at hurricane victims in Puerto Rico, some well-intentioned person thought that giving paper towels to Puerto Ricans was an appropriate sign of respect--the gift you give to Puerto Ricans after a major disaster trying to cheer us up, Viva. Having returned from my second trip to Puerto Rico since the hurricane, I can tell you one thing for sure: we need a lot more than paper towels from the President and this Congress. This is Loiza. I was visiting with the mayor. I want you to look at the pictures. This woman here, she has a disabled adult sleeping on a wet mattress. Yes, sleeping on a wet mattress. That is the home in which she takes care of her son. Four weeks after the hurricane, children hiding behind barricades, homes destroyed. This is Comerio where food, 4 weeks after the hurricane, because there is no food, has to be handed neighborhood to neighborhood, hilltop to hilltop, hamlet and village to village within the town. See this? People sleep there on that bed without tarps because somehow we forgot that in a hurricane-destroyed society it might have-- be a good idea to have something over your head. Of course, the President said he gave himself a 10. Tell that to the people who have lived there 4 weeks. I just came back from this trip on Saturday. I am now not surprised that the congressmen, my colleagues, are taking day trips to Puerto Rico. Yes, that is what we do as Members of Congress, we get there at 9 o'clock during the Sun of the day, and we leave by 4 before the darkness comes because, of course, there is no electricity, and then they take us on a helicopter ride around the island. That is no way to visit. You get off the plane and off the helicopter and you stay overnight when it is pitch black because that is the way 3.4 million American citizens live 1 month after the hurricane. That is how they live. So I don't know, maybe congressmen should stop taking day trips where they get there at 9 and leave by 4. Spend the night, get out of your comfort, and go talk to the American citizens that you are supposed to be representing. America, see this? That is a horse stable, abandoned house where people live. I met a 13-year-old girl there with her mom and her 12- year-old brother. That is where they live. See this mom and the two children? No roof over their heads. Just a little tarp to keep one part of their house and no place to sleep. See this man right here? He lives in this abandoned house in a little tent with a 2-month-old child and his wife, disabled in a wheelchair, and no electricity to run his air tank so that he can get the vital air that he needs to sustain his life. This is what I saw, and this was without the help of the Federal Government because, if you ask for help, they will put you on a helicopter and take you on a nice tour and you will not talk or see anybody. And I know there are some in America who say they should just do this for themselves. Well, guess what? They are citizens of the United States of America. They are a colony of the United States of America. And I would just ask America--there are over half a million people on that island who are homeless, whose homes have been destroyed, and our government--here is the one question people kept asking me no matter where I went, they said: Where is FEMA? Where is the help that we expect from the most powerful and richest Nation on the Earth in this moment of despair? And soon it will be out of the headlines, and soon it will be out of the rotation, and we will try to forget, but they will continue to suffer. I came back on a flight from Puerto Rico this past Saturday night filled with people fleeing, and I met this wonderful woman who said to me: I have my child here. I am dropping her with my sister so that she can be free. We would not allow this in Texas. We would not allow this in New Jersey. We would not allow this in Florida. We did not allow it even after a week in Katrina. Let's not allow it in Puerto Rico either.

Mr. GUTIERREZ

Mr. GUTIERREZ. Mr. Speaker, a little over a month ago, Hurricane Irma struck the Caribbean island of St. Maarten very hard. Within a couple of days, I got a call from loved ones of a couple of constituents. They had family members trapped at a hotel in St. Maarten with dozens of other Americans. The power was out, they were running out of food and water, and incidents of looting were reported. So they called me, their Congressman, and I called the State Department to see what could be done. Within 36 hours of my call, our U.S. citizens--nearly 150 of them-- were evacuated from an island, in the ocean, surrounded by water. Do you know where they were taken to for safety? Puerto Rico. Yes, Puerto Rico, where it has now been 3 weeks since Hurricane Maria and most people do not have power or clean drinking water, and where the deterioration of the healthcare system is leaving people without critical treatments and causing the death toll to go up. Now, in St. Maarten, this is what the State Department said, according to NBC News: ``Evacuation efforts will prioritize U.S. citizens needing urgent medical care.'' Within a few days, they had evacuated 1,200 Americans. So, right now, if a thousand U.S. citizens are facing danger in Japan, Ethiopia, or Finland, our State Department would arrange to save them. But we have millions of Americans facing danger in Puerto Rico and we can't get the same help, not from the military, not from FEMA, and not from the State Department, because they don't assist U.S. citizens who are on U.S. soil, even if that soil is a colony in the ocean surrounded by water, as our President reminds us. It took 36 hours to get evacuated from St. Maarten. Three weeks in Puerto Rico and still no plan for evacuation. This morning, the President is tweeting that he wants to pull FEMA and the military out of Puerto Rico. How long do we have to stay in Puerto Rico, Mr. President? Until every Puerto Rican's name is taken off the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall or erased from the records of the Korean war, Afghanistan, and Iraq. As long as it takes. They gave their lives and died. Yesterday, a lot of us received military briefings from FEMA, the military, and Homeland Security. I wanted to know whether FEMA and the military are prepared to take people off the island, as we normally do in emergency situations. We did it in Houston, in Jacksonville, and New Orleans. No, the Governor has not asked for help in evacuating people, they told me. I asked: How many bridges, even temporary ones, have been constructed in Puerto Rico to replace those destroyed by the hurricane to allow for the transportation of supplies and the evacuation of people? They said: None, Congressman. Zero. We have not erected any bridges. Again, because the Governor of Puerto Rico hasn't asked us to. When I was there, I flew over the town of Maricao in the mountains, well known for coffee. There are six ways in and out of the town, and five of those bridges are gone. Three weeks after D-day in 1944, the allies liberated the deepwater port of Cherbourg, one of the most important objectives in France. It took 20 days and we built bridges and communication lines along the way. We made better progress in the 3 weeks after D-day than we are making on Puerto Rico. And in Puerto Rico, to the best of my knowledge, there are no Germans shooting at us. Now, when I asked the officials about evacuating people from the island, they had no real answer. But if I remember correctly, FEMA and the military come to us to fund their budget every year. They are accountable to this Congress. We are accountable to our constituents. Constituents are coming to me, as they did in St. Maarten, and are saying: Help us get our families out of danger's way. Mr. Speaker, when will we be able to give these constituents an answer as to why their family members and loved ones aren't being allowed to leave the island and evacuated from danger? This weekend, Members of Congress are going to Puerto Rico. I spoke with a few of them and said: Hey, at night, you should go to this place where it is really bad. One stopped me, cut me off, and said: Congressman, we are not staying overnight. So, on an island where 95 percent of the power is out, our Members of Congress are only going to see things during the day, not during the pitch-black darkness, which is what Puerto Ricans are living with every single night for the last 3 weeks. Regardless of what my colleagues see during the day or what the President tweets in the morning, my friends stand in line for hours for food, if they can find it; my constituents are worried about their family members; and 5 million Puerto Ricans in the diaspora have run out of patience. We want our people free to live in the United States of America wherever they can. Mr. Speaker, my constituents want the government to help get their families out of danger's way.

Mr. GUTIERREZ

Mr. GUTIERREZ. Mr. Speaker, I was unavoidably absent in the House chamber for votes Tuesday, October 10, 2017. Had I been present, I would have voted ``Yea'' on roll call votes 558 and 559.

Mr. GUTIERREZ

Mr. GUTIERREZ. Mr. Speaker, it has been 3 weeks since the eye of Hurricane Maria crossed over Puerto Rico. It has been 3 weeks, and there are still parts of the island that have not had contact with FEMA yet--3 weeks. For most people, that has meant no power, and most still don't have running water. Hospitals and clinics were hit hard, as The New York Times reports. The daughter of one man who died because he couldn't receive oxygen treatment told the paper: ``Because of the electricity situation, a lot of people died and are still dying.'' Forty percent of the island still lacks running water because of the blackout, which still affects 85 percent of the island. As a result, many people are bathing in streams and receiving water from huge tanks, which is never a good idea. This is after 3 weeks in the most powerful nation on Earth. This is unacceptable. Our response to Hurricane Maria and the people of Puerto Rico is a national and international embarrassment and a tragedy. They are our own citizens in our own Caribbean colonies of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, and we have not helped them all that we can. I spoke to Chicago firefighters yesterday who have been in Puerto Rico for about a week, and they tell me it is worse than we are being told. They told me yesterday that they are still making contact in towns where people come up to them and say, ``Thank God, it is FEMA; you are finally here,'' only to be told, ``No, we are not FEMA; we are from Chicago; we are firefighters,'' and they embrace and cry with gratitude. Last week, a group of my colleagues and I got together. We represent large Puerto Rican communities here on the mainland in Connecticut, New York, Massachusetts, Illinois, Ohio, and Florida. All of us have been contacted by our constituents who are in desperate need to get their loved ones back and out of Puerto Rico. After 3 weeks, they have run out of patience and are not interested in excuses in our congressional district. They want their parents, they want their Tia with cancer, and they want their cousins on dialysis off the island, period, now. They want a plane ticket to get the hell out. Our communities are ready. Lorain, Ohio; Hartford; Boston; Orlando; New York; Chicago; we are all ready, but the problem is transportation. If you have money, connections, or internet access, then you probably can find a flight out. I know this because I was in Puerto Rico 2 weeks ago, and I saw the Land Rovers, the Jaguars, parked at the private airports in San Juan, because if you have the money, you have already put your loved ones on a flight out of Dodge. The individuals from FEMA have been doing a great job, given the constraints, but I think now FEMA and the military resources should focus on the task of evacuating the elderly, the sick, and the vulnerable from the island. Look, this is the way FEMA works. They say: Well, we only take on tasks that the Governor asks us to take on, and the Governor is not likely to go to FEMA to ask them to get thousands and thousands of his constituents off the island. Number one, it is a difficult request for any local official to make. Captains of industry and leaders on the island want to make sure that there are Puerto Rican workers there to rebuild, and of course, to continue to buy their products. I get that. But at the same time, those same captains of industry and political leaders, guess what, I bet you most of them have already got their loved ones off the island. Number two, we know the Governor has to be extremely careful how he asks for anything because we all know the President doesn't take criticism very well or even a hint of criticism. The Governor doesn't want to get blackballed by the President who might go off on a Twitter rant at any moment unless he is praised and stroked every step of the way. But our Puerto Rican constituents don't vote for the Governor of Puerto Rico. They vote for us, for DeLauro, for Crowley, for McGovern, for Espaillat, for Marcy Kaptur, and they want us to help them get their families out of danger's way. They are demanding help getting their family members out, and I think FEMA and the U.S. military can do the job. They just need the orders from the people in charge. Let's be clear: if anyone wants to leave Puerto Rico, they should have our help in doing so. For thousands, it is a question of life and death and survival. That is what is needed to help Puerto Rico. We don't need the President tossing paper towels to storm victims like he was tossing a ball to a dog or maybe tossing peanuts to squirrels in the park. We need airplanes, ships, and helicopters to get the people the hell out; otherwise, it will be worse than let them eat cake; it is let them die.

Mr. GUTIERREZ

Mr. GUTIERREZ. Mr. Speaker, I was unavoidably absent in the House chamber for Roll Call vote 546 on Tuesday, October 3, 2017. Had I been present, I would have voted Nay

Mr. GUTIERREZ

Mr. GUTIERREZ. Mr. Speaker, I have received a lot of calls in my office in the last few days. Some are offering help to the people of Puerto Rico, but many are from moms and dads hoping to hear from their children, from children hoping to hear from their moms and dads, from grandchildren worried about an elderly grandparent who is still in Puerto Rico. Two weeks after the hurricane hit Puerto Rico, there are people who have not been heard from and people who are calling for help, but have not received it yet. I have had Members of Congress, State and local officials, and people from all over the country call me to tell me about someone who needs help getting out of Puerto Rico. Their mom is still in Puerto Rico, or a cousin is on dialysis and has not been heard from, and can I help them get to a hospital on the mainland. These calls are heartbreaking because they are all about U.S. citizens who should be treated better 2 weeks after a calamity, even a devastating calamity like Hurricane Maria. Most of the calls have been from my constituents in Chicago. Here is one example that was summarized to me by one of my staff members in Chicago. She said: Congressman, I received a call from--I won't give her name--she lives here in Illinois, but has an aunt who is in a hospital in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico, who is very ill with cancer. She is requesting assistance from our office to get her aunt out of Puerto Rico so she can receive treatment in Chicago. Mr. Speaker, if you take a look at my Facebook page, you will see the same sort of thing. Manny writes: The municipality of Arecibo, a coastal town in the northern part of Puerto Rico, has not received help. I spoke to my family there via text and she said the situation there is dire. Yanny writes: Please don't forget Aibonito. The people there are hungry, thirsty, and there are many sick who need medicine. Thank you. I just spoke 10 minutes ago to Maria in Chicago. She said: Congressman, I haven't heard from my parents in Cayey. Mr. Speaker, it is tragic. These messages break my heart. I don't know what to tell people, except to say that help may be on the way soon. Of course, that is not good enough. I have no explanation for why it is not already there. It certainly is not the fault of the brave men and women who work for FEMA and the Armed Forces. I spent a lot of time with them in Puerto Rico while I was there, and they are working hard. They are tired. They are facing the difficult task of finding and feeding people. From what I saw in Puerto Rico this last weekend, what I am hearing from my constituents, and what I am hearing from my family and friends, we need to seriously ramp up the use of full capacity and capabilities of the U.S. Government, including the U.S. military, to rescue people. They don't need paper towels tossed at them like T-shirts at a sports arena. They need helicopters, bridges, cell towers, and generators. This is why I was, frankly, horrified by our President's performance yesterday on the island. He said that Puerto Rico was making his budget out of whack, as if the monetary cost of saving lives is what we should be focusing on, or that an agenda that cuts taxes is really as important as saving people's lives in danger. From the beginning, he has focused on the cost of saving Puerto Ricans, not the moral duty to save them. He has essentially said that Puerto Ricans are sitting around looking for handouts and not helping themselves, which is not at all what I saw in Puerto Rico this past weekend, Mr. Speaker. Yesterday, the President said we should all feel proud because only 16 people have been listed as officially killed by Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico. Really? We should feel proud? He said that a real tragedy like Hurricane Katrina killed many more people. Thousands, he said. So I guess he is saying: Hey, only 16. Why the big fuss? That number doubled overnight, by the way. Everyone understands that it will go up further still when contact is made with all parts of the island. I look at it a little differently. To me, it is almost like Hurricane Maria posed a test to the United States of America and to our President. The hurricane said: I am going to take 34 souls. That is 34 too many, but that is what I am going to take. Now I am leaving it up to you, America, Mr. President, and you the people in Congress to tell me what you will do to prevent that number from going any higher. Are you getting medicine to the sick? Are you evacuating the aunt with cancer or the cousin on dialysis? Are you providing safe drinking water and flights to safety? Mr. Speaker, I don't think today's body count is the right metric to look at, but, rather, we should be challenging ourselves to make sure it doesn't go higher. The most serious event in Puerto Rico's modern history may not qualify as a significant disaster to our President, but let us not sit back and allow the body count to change the President's mind. We just can't wait that long.

Mr. GUTIERREZ

Mr. GUTIERREZ. Mr. Speaker, I was unavoidably absent in the House chamber for votes Monday, October 2, 2017. Had I been present, I would have voted ``Yea'' on roll call votes 544 and 545.

Mr. GUTIERREZ

Mr. GUTIERREZ. Madam Speaker, I just returned from Puerto Rico, and to start my remarks, I would like to say a few words in Spanish, the language of Puerto Rico, and then I will switch back to English. I will provide a translation to the desk. (English translation of the statement made in Spanish is as follows:) My beloved Puerto Rico, you are not alone. We hear your cries for help and the full strength of the American government and military is finally coming to help. It has been slow and no one has been as frustrated as I am that the response did not happen with the urgency and priority that Puerto Ricans--and every human being who is suffering--deserve. I tell my colleagues what I saw and what you told me while I was there. I will work with them immediately, and make sure that this Congress treats Puerto Rico fairly and generously. And I am not alone. The other Puerto Ricans and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus are working with the leadership of the House to put together an aid package. Cities and towns, Mayors and Governors from across the country are making their communities available to you so that you have a safe place to be while the rescue and recovery and rebuilding continues. And standing with the Mayor of Chicago just yesterday, he said he wants the City of Chicago to be a place where any and all Puerto Ricans who need a safe place can come and we will help you resettle. You are not alone. Mi amado Puerto Rico, no estas solo. Oimos tus peticiones de ayuda, y la fuerza del gobierno y milicia estadounidense finalmente vienen a ayudar. Ha sido despacio, y comparto tu frustracion sobre una respuesta que no se dio con la urgencia y prioridad que los Puertorriquenos--y cualquier ser humano que esta sufriendo--se merecen. Les digo a mis colegas lo que he visto, y lo que me has dicho cuando estuve ahi. Trabajare con ellos inmediatamente para asegurar que este Congreso trate a Puerto Rico justa y generosamente. Y no soy el unico. Otros Puertorriquenos, y el Caucus Hispano estan trabajando con el liderazgo de la Camara para conformar un programa de ayuda. Ciudades y pueblos, alcaldes y gobernadores a traves del pais, estan abriendote las puertas de sus comunidades para que tengas un lugar seguro mientras el rescate, la recuperacion y la reconstruccion continuan. Y ayer, presente con el alcalde de Chicago, el me dijo que quiere que la ciudad de Chicago sea un lugar en el cual todo Puertorriqueno que necesite un lugar seguro pueda llegar y reestablecerse. Madam Speaker, I flew to Puerto Rico on Friday to see what was happening on the ground with my own eyes. Madam Speaker, it was worse than I imagined, and it broke my heart to see my beloved island so destroyed and so scared for its future and feeling so alone and isolated. There were dead animals all over the place, and people were so desperate for food and water. Anyone who is sick or elderly is finding it hard or impossible to get medicine and medical care. Things are improving day by day, and the number of helicopters flying missions of mercy to the interior of the island is increasing. But almost everyone has no electrical power. Almost everyone has little or no food and trouble finding it. Almost everyone has no water, and some are seeking water from unreliable or possibly contaminated sources. At the same time, I also saw an amazing unity and toughness, a can-do spirit that my fellow Puerto Ricans have the ability to make a way where there is no way, to improvise, and, most importantly, to work together. Any divisions of party or class that are right on the surface on a typical day in Puerto Rico, this faction versus that faction, all of that was blown away. The only status issue that matters for Puerto Ricans right now is the status of the SOS, save our souls. We need help, and plenty of it, now. Yesterday, I spoke at a press conference in Chicago with Mayor Rahm Emanuel and leaders from Chicago, including Fire Commissioner Santiago and the head of Chicago's Office of Emergency Management and Control, a brigadier general in our National Guard. The mayor announced that 22 Chicago firefighters, on their own dime, are going to Puerto Rico to help with the rescue and recovery efforts, including bringing equipment that may help communications to remote parts of the island. The mayor also announced that, in Chicago, we want to be for Puerto Rico what Houston was for New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina--a place of refuge where we will help you get settled, get your kids into school, get you the medical care you need, and make you feel welcome. One thing I learned in Puerto Rico this weekend is that, in Chicago and in the rest of the U.S., we need to start thinking about evacuation in addition to rebuilding and recovery. I have welcomed my own family into my home, and people I know across the country are welcoming relatives escaping Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. But we need to wrap up our commitment beyond the family-to- family informal relationships and look systematically at how we organize ourselves to meet the great need of our fellow citizens on the island in the Caribbean. Rebuilding Puerto Rico--making her a strong and self-sufficient island nation of industrious and hardworking people again--will take years and require a long-term commitment from this Congress and this country so that the well-being of our fellow man on the island can be met. So, Madam Speaker, let's roll up our sleeves and get to work. Once again, Chicago is there to welcome you, to enroll your kids in school, to get you medical attention, and to make sure you have a safe place until the recovery and rebuilding has been accomplished.

Mr. GUTIERREZ

Mr. GUTIERREZ. Mr. Speaker, I was unavoidably absent in the House chamber for votes Wednesday, September 27, 2017. Had I been present, I would have voted ``Nay'' on rollcall votes 538 and 539, and I would have voted ``Yea'' on rollcall vote 540. Personal Explanation

Mr. GUTIERREZ

Mr. GUTIERREZ. No, Mr. President, Puerto Rico is not doing well. We don't need to be reminded of the debt. We should remind ourselves of our responsibility to the 3.4 million people of the island nation of Puerto Rico. They are suffering greatly. Mr. Speaker, the people of Puerto Rico need our immediate and sustained help. We all know that flooding, destruction, and complete elimination of the power grid for the whole island are among the consequences of Hurricane Maria, but this is no ordinary hurricane, and it hit at no ordinary time. Mr. Speaker, we need all hands on deck to make sure rescuing Puerto Rico becomes our number one priority. Immediate needs must be met--fresh water, food, medicine, shelter, and fuel--but we need sustained investment and cooperation with the island's government and its people to make Puerto Rico livable again. Like a lot of Americans, I have watched with increasing horror and panic as the Governor of Puerto Rico, the mayor of San Juan, and ordinary Puerto Ricans have pleaded for more help. The work of first responders and our military has been heroic, but the island needs more. One-third of the doctors--over 5,000--have left the island of Puerto Rico in the last 10 years. Hospitals have no doctors in some cases. Nurses, fuel, and medicine are running out at the hospitals that remain open. This is a public health crisis and should be declared a health emergency by the Federal Government. Puerto Rico has been in an economic crisis for years. Five thousand people flee Puerto Rico every month--before two hurricanes hit--leaving behind many old, many young, the very poor, the very sick, and the very vulnerable. There is no food in supermarkets. We need an airlift. We need an effort the scale of Dunkirk. We know the U.S. is capable. We can invade foreign countries with hundreds of thousands of troops, flawless communications, food, and security. We need the same effort now. We need the Federal Government to go all in to rescue Puerto Rico from a humanitarian crisis which is developing. Welcome other nations if they want to help, Mr. President, like Cuba, that has offered doctors and other emergency assistance. But what I fear is that the Federal Government is not stepping up as fully and as quickly as we must. I remember, in this body, when the legislation to take over the Puerto Rican government and put in place a junta or control board was working its way through Congress--the PROMESA bill. What was the main selling point for the bill? Vote for PROMESA because it will not cost us a penny. So that is where this Congress and the Federal Government start from: not wanting to spend what needs to be spent or do what needs to be done. We need to waive cost sharing that could charge--would charge--Puerto Rico for a percentage of the relief and rescue help they are receiving today. Puerto Rico is broke, and they cannot borrow because the government--our Federal Government--has said it cannot. This Congress has said it cannot. So they can't set their own budget and spending priorities, which have all been taken away from them. So the U.S. Government should start by waiving those cost-sharing requirements and suspend the Jones Act permanently or for a substantial period--at least a decade--to help in the recovery. Since it was imposed on Puerto Rico, the Jones Act has cost the Puerto Rican consumers more than all the money owed to Wall Street and the debt, yet the President reminds us of the debt. Let the ships flow as quickly and as cheaply from wherever they may come because this is an emergency. Let's be clear: with or without hurricanes, the electrical grid, the roads, ports, public safety, and public health system are close to collapsing. So this emergency can not just be treated by Congress, the President, FEMA, and other agencies as just another storm. Mr. Speaker, I have asked the Speaker of the House and the Democratic leader to form a delegation and send Members to Puerto Rico so they can see for themselves how dire things are. I am leaving on Friday to go there, and I am hoping other Members will join me. I have family who needs help, so I am headed there to do what I can do. But, most importantly, I am committed to shining a spotlight on the people of Puerto Rico so that they are neither out of sight nor out of our minds. We need to make them the priority in this moment of great need and in this moment of national disaster.

Mr. GUTIERREZ

Mr. GUTIERREZ. Mr. Speaker, I was unavoidably absent in the House chamber for votes Tuesday, September 5, 2017. Had I been present, I would have voted Yea on Roll Call votes 439 and 440.