Engel Statement on Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands One Year After Hurricane Maria
“One year ago, Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, leaving nearly three thousand dead. Today, our fellow citizens on the islands are still reeling from the storm and its aftermath, struggling to recover due in no small part to the ineptitude of this Administration.
“Rather than focus on the recovery effort, the President spent most of the past year ignoring the plight of his Caribbean constituents, then called into question the official government death count after it exposed just how inadequate his team was in responding. His remarks were disgraceful and deserve our condemnation, which my colleagues and I offered to him directly in writing. The President’s callous words also called for a legislative response, in the form of Rep. Nydia Velazquez’s COUNT Victims Act, a bill I cosponsor, which will ensure no future disaster is left with uncertainty regarding the toll it took.
“Moving forward, we must also keep in mind the role climate change will play in future storms. Our planet is getting hotter, and more heat means more energy powering massive storm systems. One of the smartest, most effective ways we could help Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands is to take real, bold steps to combat climate change, something the GOP has refused to do for years. In addition, it is critical that we hold FEMA accountable when dealing with natural disasters, another responsibility Republicans seem to have abdicated.
“We’ve learned many lessons over the past year, not the least of which is what happens when those in power fail to act on behalf of our fellow citizens. The Republican run federal government failed the people of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Their failure must never be allowed to happen again.”
Engel Cosponsors Resolution to Overturn Trump’s Expansion of Junk Health Insurance Plans
Congressman Eliot L. Engel has cosponsored a Congressional Review Act resolution, H.J. Res. 140, to overturn the Trump Administration’s expansion of junk health insurance plans that would allow insurers to deny coverage to people with pre-existing conditions.
The resolution, authored by Congresswoman Kathy Castor, would nullify a Trump Administration rule permitting the expansion of skimpy health plans. Such plans are not required to offer the consumer protections provided under the Affordable Care Act, such as those for Americans with pre-existing conditions.
“I refuse to stand idly by while the Trump Administration and Republicans in Congress lay waste to vital consumer protections,”Engel said. “We cannot go back to a time when Americans could be forced to pay more for health care – or be denied it altogether – because they live with a condition like asthma or diabetes. Nor can we return to the days when plans were free to exclude needed benefits, like maternity care. I am proud to join Congresswoman Castor in her effort to protect consumers from this dangerous Republican effort to turn back the clock on American families.”
Engel Statement on Trump Admin. Decision to Pull Funding From Cancer Research to Pay for Jailing of Immigrant Children
Congressman Eliot L. Engel issued the following statement in response to the Trump Administration’s decision to pull $260 million in funding from cancer research and other health programs to pay for the rising cost of detaining immigrant children:
“The revelation that the Trump Administration is moving vital funding away from worthwhile, potentially life-saving programming in order to pay for the President’s crusade against immigrants should give us all pause. This is just another despicable decision from an Administration that specializes in them. They’ve already redirected funding from FEMA to ICE and now they’re going one step further. The idea of taking money from cancer research and HIV/AIDS prevention in order to pay for the jailing of children is so grotesque, it runs completely counter to our values as a nation. Every GOP member in the House and Senate should be made to answer for this horror show.”
No comments:
Post a Comment