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U.S. Congresswoman Debbie Dingell (MI-12), a member of the House Committee on Natural Resources, released the following statement after the committee approved H.R. 5278, the PROMESA Act, a bipartisan bill that addresses the debt crisis in Puerto Rico.

“Puerto Rico is in crisis. Today, 3.5 million Americans are suffering at the hands of a fiscal crisis that has left them without access to basic health care, electricity and public safety services, and we have a moral obligation to act. This bill would provide Puerto Rico with some of the most urgently needed tools to stem this crisis and lay the foundation for future economic growth. This is not a perfect bill. It does not do enough to address the underlying economic issues that created this crisis in the first place, but it is a first step and a bipartisan compromise that will bring relief to 3.5 million Americans. I commend Chairman Bishop and Ranking Member Grijalva for working in good faith to get us to the point where we are today. It’s what we have to do more of in this country – work together to solve major problems like this one. The worst thing we can do is fail to act.”