Buffalo – Leading Buffalo’s Hispanic Population, which is approximately 45,000, Mayor Byron Brown announced today that he has joined mayors of cities across the country in urging federal officials to support President Barack Obama’s proposals to help Puerto Rico overcome its current fiscal and economic crisis.

“Buffalo is home to a significant population with a deep connection to Puerto Rico that dates back to the early 1900’s and this issue touches us very closely,” said Mayor Brown. “As we continue to build a city of opportunity in Buffalo, where everyone benefits from our city’s economic resurgence, I recognize that the economic vitality of Puerto Rico has a direct impact on the finances of many who are actively investing in Buffalo neighborhoods. Today I ask Congress for its leadership and support to protect the future of 3.5 million U.S. citizens in Puerto Rico.”

In a letter, issued December 15, 2015, Mayor Brown asks that federal lawmakers support President Obama’s legislative package to provide Puerto Rico with the protections, equal treatment, and support it needs to overcome its current fiscal and economic crisis. The President recently released a plan to put Puerto Rico on a road to recovery that will both honor its obligations to American investors and provide Puerto Rico with the support it needs to overcome its current fiscal and economic crisis. The President’s legislative package for Puerto Rico contains the following provisions:

• Enact broad bankruptcy protection and debt restructuring powers for Puerto Rico;
• Provide reforms and investments to improve access to Medicare and Medicaid by increasing access to coverage, raising the standard of care and preventing Medicaid’s unstable financing from worsening Puerto Rico’s fiscal crisis;
• Reward work and support an economic growth plan that would enact an earned income tax credit and expand a child tax credit for island residents; and
• Establish fiscal governance and safeguards to ensure adherence to needed reforms while preserving local decision making power.

Buffalo has an active Puerto Rican community with strong cultural roots that has been an important part of the fabric of Buffalo’s Community since the early 1900s. The earliest arrivals were people who came here looking for the American Dream. They were determined to improve the lives of their families here and the loved ones left back home. They arrived, like many others, hoping to contribute to the City of Buffalo. They worked in factories, rail yards, steel plants, and many other places that would offer meaningful employment and the opportunity for success. Today they are contributing professionally in the private and public sectors, continuing the tradition of hard work and dedication in the fields of military, education, medicine, law, government, communications, business, finance, sports, art, and music.