WATER CRISIS IN PUERTO RICO

On 2026-06-25, Representative Pablo José Hernández (D-PR) delivered a floor speech titled "WATER CRISIS IN PUERTO RICO" in the House.

WATER CRISIS IN PUERTO RICO

Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 107 (Thursday, June 25, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 107 (Thursday, June 25, 2026)] [House] [Page H4253] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] WATER CRISIS IN PUERTO RICO (Mr. HERNANDEZ asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.) Mr. HERNANDEZ. Mr. Speaker, Puerto Rico faces a water crisis, and, ironically, the Governor's office is drowning. Last week, decades of mismanagement and poor maintenance left hundreds of thousands, including me and my family, without water. There was a stench, but it was not just the stench of unflushed toilets. It was the stench of corruption. The former Secretary of Economic Development filed a criminal complaint against the Governor's chief of staff for alleged intervention in a government bidding process. When the Governor testified in the Senate last week, Senator Mike Lee asked her: How can Congress be assured that Federal funds sent to Puerto Rico are not being misused? I would tell Senator Lee: The people of Puerto Rico share your concern. On behalf of the honest, hardworking majority of Puerto Ricans, I tell this Chamber: We will not be quiet. We will not stand still. We will fight to restore integrity in public service in the great Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. ____________________