Ryan to ‘Hamilton’ creator: We’re making progress on Puerto Rico

Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) on Tuesday responded to criticism from “Hamilton” creator Lin-Manuel Miranda about a Puerto Rico relief bill, insisting Congress is focused on relief for the island.

 

{mosads}Ryan told “CBS This Morning” he was shocked to see Miranda address him directly on HBO’s “Last Week Tonight” on Sunday.

 

The Speaker said he was settling in to watch HBO’s “Game of Thrones.”

 

“I turned it on like 10 minutes early and that was on — that guy came on the stage and started throwing my name around. That was very surreal,” he said.

 

Miranda, who wrote and stars in the Broadway hit “Hamilton,” made a direct plea to Ryan and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) to pass a bill to help Puerto Rico handle its massive debt burden.

 

“Paul Ryan, I’ll come sing ‘Hamilton’ at your house,” Miranda rapped. “I’ll do-si-do with Pelosi. I’ll wear my Hamilton blouse.”

 

“We are focused on Puerto Rico,” Ryan responded Tuesday, saying Congress will let the island restructure its debt. 

 

He insisted that “there will be no taxpayer bailout of Puerto Rico,” whose government faces a $70 billion debt burden.

 

“But we will give the tools that are necessary to bring order to this chaos in Puerto Rico so that they can have a smooth landing, so that they can put their house in order,” Ryan said.