While campaigning in Bayamón, Puerto Rico, Former Pres. Bill Clinton highlighted the various positions Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton has taken to support Puerto Ricans, and also outlined his potential role if his wife is elected President of the United States.
"She strongly supports the right of the people of Puerto Rico to vote for president of the United States and to be treated equally under our laws," said Bill Clinton. "She thinks it's time to resolve the status question once and for all with no ambiguity."
He also said the people of Puerto Rico should have the right to vote for U.S. president and spoke of the need to address health care inequalities between the commonwealth and the 50 states. He also said it's important to lower the energy costs for people in this area — three big issues he also highlighted Monday night in a stop in St. Croix, Virgin Islands.
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While the Puerto Rican government struggles to pay over $72 billion in loans, Fmr. Pres. Clinton said Hillary Clinton believes that the people of Puerto Rico are entitled to restructure their debt, and that the former Secretary of State would support immediate action on that.
"She believes that the United States has failed to provide truly equal and adequate treatment for the people of Puerto Rico, especially in healthcare and it has caused a lot of problems," Former President Clinton said. "Som she wants to increase the national government's share of the Medicaid budget. She wants to make sure there are not cuts in the Medicare budget and Medicare advantage."
After discussing Puerto Rico's statehood or territorial status and the economic and healthcare crises, Bill Clinton tied in environmental protection reforms that could potentially lower energy costs in Puerto Rico.
"She took the lead in saying that not only you but all the people of the Caribbean should be free of expensive, imported, unnecessary heavy oil, which is bad for the environment, contributes to global warming and gives you electric bills that are entirely too high," Bill Clinton said.
Clinton also spoke of what he would focus on as a first spouse if his wife were elected president.
"I will do everything I can to help should she be elected," Former President Clinton said. "I have asked, actually, to be given the job of trying to help every part of the United States that has been left out and left behind economically."
