As members of #Power4PuertoRico we are urging you to help--not punish--Puerto Rico. Months after Hurricane Maria, our fellow Americans in Puerto Rico desperately need congressional action aimed at rebuilding the Island. We urge you to do the right thing and protect jobs by excluding Puerto Rico from the excise tax provision in the final tax reform bill.

Because the IRS considers Puerto Rico a foreign jurisdiction, the tax bill imposes a 20% import tax on products manufactured in the Island. But Puerto Rico is part of the U.S. and its fragile economy will never bounce back under this provision. Unless Congress changes the tax bill, Puerto Rico could lose up to 250,000 jobs.

We believe that Congress should be using tax reform to help Puerto Rico’s recovery with tools such as the Child Tax Credit or Earned Income Tax Credit or other incentives, not harm Puerto Rican employers and workers who are trying to get back on their feet post Hurricane Maria.

At a time when thousands of our fellow Americans are struggling to meet their basic needs, we must enact policies that advance and not hinder recovery for American citizens in Puerto Rico.