‘Alexander Hamilton’ Wants Congress To Help Puerto Rico

From left, Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) Grammy award winner Lin-Manuel Miranda of the Broadway show Hamilton, and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) participate in the news conference to announce a new push to address the humanitarian and economic crisis in Puerto Rico on Tuesday, March 15, 2016.
(Photo Credit: Bill Clark)

By NAN Business Editor

News Americas, WASHINGTON, D.C., Fri. Mar. 18, 2016: Americas’ greatest immigrant and the US’ first secretary of the Treasury, Caribbean-born Alexander Hamilton, has some words of wisdom for the current U.S. Congress when it comes to Puerto Rico.

Actually Lin-Manuel Miranda, the Puerto Rico-roots actor who created the spectacular award-winning show “Hamilton” and plays the US Founding Father on Broadway does!

This week he trekked to Capitol Hill to urge lawmakers to pass legislation that would let the U.S. territory restructure its $70 billion debt.

So far the Republican controlled Congress has refused to allow the US territory to file for bankruptcy.

“We have a humanitarian crisis on our hands,” said Miranda, surrounded by sympathetic Democratic lawmakers including New York Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand and Chuck Schumer.

House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., has said his chamber will produce “a responsible solution” to Puerto Rico’s debt problems by the end of March. Still the House is scheduled to meet just five more days this month.

Puerto Rico Governor, Alejandro Garcia Padilla, has argued that Puerto Rico should be afforded the same bankruptcy protections that exist for municipalities across the United States.