Mark-Viverito rips GOP, Rubio over Puerto Rico

NEW YORK (AP) — New York City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito is criticizing Republicans for not helping debt-crippled Puerto Rico.

Mark-Viverito, a Democrat, said Tuesday "it won't be forgotten" that Republicans in Congress opposed aid to the U.S. territory when passing last week's catch-all spending bill.

The speaker, one of the nation's leading Puerto Rican politicians, singled out Florida Senator Marco Rubio.

He previously supported a bailout before opposing it.

Mark-Viverito claimed that was "an egregious flip-flop" and said she and other Latino activists would rally Florida's 1 million Puerto Ricans on this issue in 2016.

Rubio did not immediately return a request for comment. Many Republicans believe a bailout should be a last resort.

House Speaker Paul Ryan ordered lawmakers to come up with a solution by March.