Puerto Rico Lacking One Voice in Congress Hurts Aid Efforts
As the island of about 3.5 million people moves closer to debt-payment deadlines and Congress nears its summer recess, the chances of a default are rising.
Resident Commissioner Pedro Pierluisi (C) of Puerto Rico speaks alongside US Representative Jose Serrano (R), Democrat of New York, and Puerto Rican activists, urging Congress to allow an end to the island's territorial status, during a press conference at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on January 15, 2013.
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Puerto Rico’s loudest advocates in Washington are having trouble persuading the U.S. Congress to listen.
Even with some Democratic support to help ease the commonwealth’s debt crisis, Representative Pedro Pierluisi has little pull with Republican leaders and has muddled his message by pushing for statehood. What’s more, he and Puerto Rican Governor Alejandro Garcia Padilla -- rivals in an election next year -- don’t always agree.