Hillary Clinton’s Plan for Puerto Rico

Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton wrote about her plan for Puerto Rico in an article in La Prensa. Clinton began with a clear statement about the functioning of the PROMESA fiscal oversight board. The board has met twice in New York and has given Governor Garcia Padilla an Oct. 14 deadline to produce a ternaround plan, but much of the functioning of the board will take place under the new governor of Puerto Rico and the new president of the United States beginning in 2017.

“As PROMESA is implemented,” Clinton wrote, we must ensure that the interests of the people of Puerto Rico are protected above the earnings of hedge funds. Federal officials must respect the government of Puerto Rico while the laws are implemented and while the budget and debt of Puerto Rico are restructured. We need a recovery strategy that promotes growth, not austerity. Working together we can protect the health system, pensions, wages and wellbeing of Puerto Ricans.”

But Clinton recognized that the financial problems in Puerto Rico are symptoms of a larger problem. “The inconsistent treatment of Puerto Rico by the federal government has been a determining factor of its economic decline,” Clinton wrote. “Some programs give [Puerto Rico] a second-class status. Others do not even recognize it as part of the United States. This inconsistent treatment makes no sense and I am committed to ensure that Puerto Ricans are treated equally.”

Clinton described her plans to make Puerto Rio more attractive to business investors. “We are committed to increased investment in infrastructure,” she wrote. “We will ensure that Puerto Ricans are treated equally in Medicare, Medicaid and other programs that benefit families. And we’ll make programs like the Child Tax Credit (Child Tax Credit) and the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) are available to all low-income workers, the elderly and the disabled.”

Read more: http://www.puertoricoreport.com/hillary-clintons-plan-puerto-rico/