Puerto Rico Debt Measure Pressed by Democrats, Citing Zika
- Island vulnerable to mosquito-borne ailment, lawmakers say
- Health-care cuts seen creating a potentially dire outcome
A Puerto Rican flag is seen painted on the doorway of an abandoned building in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on May 1, 2016.
Photographer: Erika P. Rodriguez/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
House Democrats are stepping up pressure on Republicans to advance legislation addressing Puerto Rico’s worsening debt crisis by issuing a report arguing that austerity cuts can’t be sustained and have made the island more vulnerable to the mosquito-borne Zika virus.
Health-care cuts in response to the $70 billion debt crisis have created a potentially “disastrous” outcome for residents and show how further sharp reductions in government spending can’t be a part of a legislative solution, according to the report released Wednesday by Democrats on the House Natural Resources Committee.