Congress Can Save—or Destroy—Voteless Puerto Rico
- Hurricane Maria upended the island’s delicate financial plan
- Issues land with lawmakers distracted by chaotic tax politics
San Juan, Puerto Rico's capital and a center of island culture dating to the 16th century, is on the cusp of the high tourism season with crippled power and boarded-up businesses.
Photographer: Ricardo Arduengo/AFP via Getty Images
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Congress can’t get Puerto Rico off its hands.
Last year, lawmakers crafted Promesa, a bipartisan law that established a fiscal-control board and bankruptcy-like process to deal with the U.S. commonwealth’s unpayable $74 billion debt. Then came Hurricane Maria, which brought a fresh cascade of dilemmas that will shape the island for generations.