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Hillary Clinton presidential campaign, 2016/Puerto Rico

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Puerto Rico defaulted on $779 million in general obligation bonds on July 1, 2016, in order to continue providing essential services to its residents. The default triggered concerns about austerity measures and damaged relations between the government and investors, including citizens who relied on the bonds for retirement. Alejandro García Padilla, the governor of Puerto Rico, defended the move, saying that the island had become “a colony of Wall Street." He continued, “We are starting the process of putting it back in the hands of Puerto Ricans.”[1][2][3]

In the months preceding the default, the 2016 presidential candidates commented on what mechanisms Puerto Rico should be allowed to use, if any, to restructure its debt, and whether the territory should become a state. The ways in which the candidates reacted to the passage of S 2328 - Puerto Rico Oversight, Management, and Economic Stability Act or PROMESA—a bipartisan bill providing a stay on creditor litigation and establishing an independent oversight committee tasked with addressing the debt crisis—highlighted some of these differences.

Below, see what Hillary Clinton and the 2016 Democratic Party Platform said about Puerto Rico.

Democratic Party Clinton on Puerto Rico

  • On May 20, 2016, Clinton released a statement of support with some reservations for S 2328 - Puerto Rico Oversight, Management, and Economic Stability Act or PROMESA.[4] She again endorsed the bill when it was passed in the U.S. Senate on June 29, 2016, writing, "The bill the Senate passed today is the best chance we have of averting a fiscal crisis on July 1. The bill is by no means perfect, and I continue to have serious concerns about some of the provisions it contains. That’s why, as this bill is implemented, I will continue to stand with the people of Puerto Rico to ensure that the oversight board created by this legislation is made up of members who will act in the best interest of Puerto Ricans, and protect their health care, pensions, wages, and well-being."[5]
  • In April 2016, Clinton sent two of her advisers, Amanda Renteria and Ann O’Leary, to Puerto Rico "on a fact-finding mission to learn more about how Zika is impacting the island, and to determine what more we can do to assist Puerto Rico in responding to this health crisis."[6]
  • The Clinton campaign released a list of Clinton's positions on Puerto Rico's economy in April 2016:[7]
    • Clinton expressed support for Congress allowing Puerto Rico to restructure its debt while maintaining its autonomy.
    • She supported self-determination in Puerto Rico. "She will make sure all stakeholders do their part to hold a plebiscite on any proposal that the Government of Puerto Rico puts to voters, as long as it is federally sanctioned and compatible with the Constitution, laws, and basic policies of the United States. And Hillary will ensure that Congress honors whatever the people of Puerto Rico decide, because all people have the right to a form of government that is representative at all levels of government," according to the factsheet.
    • Clinton backed "increasing the share of Medicaid paid for by the federal government and stopping the cuts to Medicare Advantage" in Puerto Rico.
  • In August 1999, former President Bill Clinton offered conditional clemency to 16 members of the Armed Forces of National Liberation, a Puerto Rican nationalist group suspected of several bombings in the U.S. from 1974 to 1983.[8] Hillary Clinton, then the first lady, opposed their release in a statement on September 4, 1999. "When the administration first offered these prisoners clemency, I made it very clear that I had no involvement in or prior knowledge of the decision, as is entirely appropriate, and that the prisoners should not be released unless they renounced violence," Clinton wrote. She continued, "It's been three weeks and their silence speaks volumes. I believe the offer of clemency should be withdrawn."[9]
  • Read what other presidential candidates said about Puerto Rico.

Recent news

The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Hillary Clinton Puerto Rico. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

Hillary Clinton presidential campaign, 2016/Puerto Rico - Google News

See also

Footnotes

  1. ↑ CNBC, "There’s no choice: Puerto Rico will default on more than $1 billion in debt on Friday," June 29, 2016
  2. ↑ Reuters, "Puerto Rico says will default on $779 million of senior debt," July 1, 2016
  3. ↑ The Wall Street Journal, "Puerto Rico Defaults on Constitutionally Guaranteed Debt," July 1, 2016
  4. ↑ Hillary for America, "Hillary Clinton Statement on the Proposed House Bill for Puerto Rico," May 20, 2016
  5. ↑ Hillary for America, "Hillary Clinton Statement on Passage of Puerto Rico Debt Bill," June 29, 2016
  6. ↑ Hillary for America, "Two Top Clinton Advisors to Travel to Puerto Rico to Discuss Impacts of Zika," April 19, 2016
  7. ↑ Hillary for America, "Growing Together: Hillary Clinton’s Vision for Puerto Ricans," April 14, 2016
  8. ↑ CNN, "11 Puerto Rican nationalists freed from prison," September 10, 1999
  9. ↑ The Los Angeles Times, "Mrs. Clinton Against Offer of Clemency," September 5, 1999
  10. ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
  11. ↑ Democratic Party, "The 2016 Democratic Party Platform," accessed August 5, 2016
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