Conversation about Puerto Rico's recovery with Elizabeth Warren

Carmen Yulin and Elizabeth Warren from left to right.

** Disclaimer: this is a rough transcript done live, quotation marks do not represent true direct quotes. Excuse any typos.

• Fema funds for wall are "dumb", government has been "Cruel" to PR

• Washington's interests lie in the 1%

• Reminds the audience how it all went from mexico paying the wall to PR paying for it with fema funds

• "PR has suffered enough 'we' will no longer let that happen (assuming DNC)"

• "Puerto Rico has been the perfect example of how washington works for wall st and not for the people"

  • "people that live here are at the mercy of wall st execs"

• "If PR was a corp it would file for bankruptcy"

• quotes trump:

"not wanting one dollar to go to PR"

• "It's time to show the people of PR some real respect"
  • "respect starts with STATUS"
    • "she will support the people of PR"
  • "Unions have a place in PR"
    • Stregthen unions in PR and US

• New laws to address climate change"

Getting Puerto Rico on the road to recovery

• Change law
  • Territorial relief act
• Marshall plan for PR
  • Worked with bernie sanders on this
• PR citizen must equal rights as US citiczens

"Good government provisions'

• "Audit government debt"
  • "How much? How was it issued? What will it take to fix it?"
  • "Including the 'everyday people' on policy making
  • "Stop vulture funds selling PR's future'
  • "Stregnthen the UPR instead of gutting it"
    • "We don't build a future by supporting student debt"

"GOV Response"

• 9/11 style investigation on poor management of disaster relief in PR

  • Accountability for fema
    • Calls out FEMA Administration - brock long
      • "Even I couldn't have imagined this level of incompetence'
      • "he should take responsibility for his failures"

• "We can do all of these things and we SHOULD do all of these things"

Extrapolating issues magnified on the island to washington and the US as a whole.

• "When government stops working for the people, we need to call that out for what it is. Corruption."

• Proposed the largest anti corruption act since watergate

• "End lobbying as we know it"

• "Ban memebers of congress from becoming lobbyists"

• "Block the revolving door between wall st and washington"

• NO MORE oil / drug companies controlling DC

• Require members runninfg for office to publish taxes

• Beat back the influence of money on the government.

  • "I believe in government for the people"

• "with trump, cruelty is not an accident, it's part of the plan"

Q&A panel

Ex PR Governor Anibal Acevedo Vila in the far right section

1. "We'd like to know more about a marshall plan?"

   • Good question, will give outline. Lay out big picture and help PR to take the weel.
     • Infrastructure
       • Clean energy / powergrid
       • Communication
         • "everyone needs access to highspeed internet across the island"
   • Education
     • "We gotta invest in our children, we just do"
       • Fiercely opposed to austerity measures that are taking rights away from our children
     • From low level to high level
       • Get the teachers back
   • Healthcare
     • Find the most cost effective of delivering healthcare to the people
     • Hospitals need to be fully staffed "no matter what"

2. "How are life long democrats going to join the DNC win the election while being unable to vote?"

   • Big question, it will be years to get through system
   • The energy [behind the movement] is amazing
   • "This is not a strategy for me, not here to talk about PR because it poll tests well, this is my life mission"

3. Anibal Acevedo Vila (ex governor of PR) question about status decision support, referencing previous times candidates have stood in support of PR’s decision and want of the process being executed but no actual support has been shown. [heavily paraphrased]

   • Response, two resounding yes’. One for acknowledgment of lack of previous enactment and two for support of PR’s decision.

4. "Dont you think that the USG should care more about the status of PR" - unknown

   • Same answer to AAV's question.

Closing remarks

• Thank you for listening. Worked hard on speech. Big structural changes need to happen across the whole USA.
• "People think i'm kidding"
• " I get making democracy work for the people again is hard"
  • xyz groups were told the same but they got organized, fought hard, and pushedthrough"
• "It is our moment to make real change in this country"