{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://hernandez.house.gov/media/press-releases/comisionado-residente-pablo-jose-hernandez-lidera-encuentro-con-la-industria", "Comisionado Residente Pablo Jose Hern\u00e1ndez, lidera encuentro con la industria del caf\u00e9 puertorrique\u00f1o en Washington", "2025-07-15", "2025", "2025-07", "Democrat", "House", "PR", "Pablo Jos\u00e9 Hern\u00e1ndez", "H001103", "hernandez.house.gov", "hernandez", "https://hernandez.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2014 El Comisionado Residente en Washington, Pablo Jos\u00e9 Hern\u00e1ndez Rivera, convoc\u00f3 a caficultores, cooperativas, PYMes y aliados de la industria cafetalera puertorrique\u00f1a a un encuentro en el edificio Rayburn del Capitolio federal. El evento sirvi\u00f3 como plataforma para resaltar los retos y el renacer de uno de los sectores agr\u00edcolas m\u00e1s emblem\u00e1ticos de la isla.\n\nEl evento cont\u00f3 con la presencia de varios miembros del Congreso, entre ellos el co-presidente del Caucus del Caf\u00e9 en la C\u00e1mara Federal, el Congresista Republicano, William Timmons del Distrito-4 de Carolina del Sur, y con la Congresista Dem\u00f3crata, Nellie Pou del Distrito-9 de Nueva Jersey, y con el Congresista Dem\u00f3crata, Adriano Espaillat del Distrito-13 de Nueva York como muestra de apoyo y compromiso con la industria del caf\u00e9 y su potencial desarrollo.\n\n\u201cEste es un momento clave para la industria cafetalera de Puerto Rico. Para capitalizarlo, estoy promoviendo tres acciones concretas: ampliar el respaldo del USDA a nuestros caficultores como cultivo especializado; destinar fondos federales a cooperativas que puedan procesar y exportar con valor a\u00f1adido; y adaptar la asistencia por desastres a la realidad geogr\u00e1fica de la isla. Se trata de desarrollo econ\u00f3mico, empleos y una oportunidad real de crecimiento para Puerto Rico.\u201d argument\u00f3 Hernandez Rivera\n\nEl Congresista Timmons resalta a los productores como el punto de partida: \u201cEl caf\u00e9 es m\u00e1s que un simple h\u00e1bito diario: es uno de los principales motores de la econom\u00eda estadounidense, ya que sustenta millones de empleos, alimenta a nuestra fuerza laboral y genera miles de millones en ingresos. Pero todo comienza con los productores. El Coffee Caucus se compromete a garantizar que nuestros productores cuenten con el apoyo que necesitan para competir y prosperar, al tiempo que fortalece todos los eslabones de la cadena de suministro. Una industria cafetera fuerte significa una econom\u00eda m\u00e1s s\u00f3lida, una mayor resiliencia y una naci\u00f3n m\u00e1s productiva\u201d, destac\u00f3\n\nEl Comisionado subray\u00f3 el resurgimiento del caf\u00e9 puertorrique\u00f1o como producto de alta calidad, cultivado de forma sostenible y vinculado al turismo agr\u00edcola y la identidad nacional. Tambi\u00e9n reconoci\u00f3 el liderazgo de las cooperativas cafetaleras, en especial aquellas dirigidas por mujeres, y el potencial del sector como motor econ\u00f3mico para las regiones monta\u00f1osas de la isla.\n\nA ra\u00edz del reciente aumento arancelario a las importaciones de caf\u00e9 brasile\u00f1o, Hern\u00e1ndez destac\u00f3 la coyuntura como una oportunidad hist\u00f3rica para la isla: \u201cCon los nuevos aranceles sobre importaciones brasile\u00f1as, los tostadores estadounidenses est\u00e1n buscando alternativas. Es una gran oportunidad para crecer, exportar y generar riqueza que se quede en Puerto Rico\u201d, destac\u00f3.\n\nEl evento celebrado en el vest\u00edbulo del edificio Rayburn, anexo al Capitolio, reuni\u00f3 a un sin n\u00famero de invitados a conocer y degustar el potencial del caf\u00e9 puertorrique\u00f1o como parte de los esfuerzos del Comisionado para insertar la agricultura puertorrique\u00f1a en la discusi\u00f3n p\u00fablica de Estados Unidos.\n\nResident Commissioner Pablo Jos\u00e9 Hern\u00e1ndez leads Puerto Rican Coffee Industry Showcase\n\n\"Let\u2019s meet this moment, not just to restore a legacy, but to build a new future of economic growth for Puerto Rico.\"\n\nWASHINGTON, D.C. \u2014 Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico, Pablo Jos\u00e9 Hern\u00e1ndez Rivera, convened coffee growers, cooperatives, SMEs, and allies of the Puerto Rican coffee industry in the Rayburn House Office Building. The event served as a platform to highlight the challenges and rebirth of one of the island's most emblematic agricultural sectors.\n\nThe event was attended by several Members of Congress, including the co-chair of the Congressional Coffee Caucus, Rep. William Timmons (R-SC-04), as well as Reps. Nellie Pou (D-NJ-09) and Adriano Espaillat (D-NY-13), who all voiced their support and commitment to the coffee industry and its potential development.\n\n\"This is a pivotal moment for Puerto Rico's coffee industry. To capitalize on it, I am promoting three concrete actions: expanding USDA support for our coffee growers as a specialized crop; allocating federal funds to cooperatives that can process and export with added value; and adapting disaster assistance to the island's geographical reality. This is about economic development, jobs, and a real opportunity for growth for Puerto Rico,\" argued Hernandez Rivera.\n\nRep. Timmons highlighted producers as the starting point: \u201cCoffee is more than just a daily habit\u2014it is a major driver of the American economy, supporting millions of jobs, fueling our workforce, and generating billions in revenue. But it all starts with the growers. The Coffee Caucus is committed to ensuring our domestic producers have the support they need to compete and thrive, while strengthening every link in the supply chain. A strong coffee industry means a stronger economy, greater resilience, and a more productive nation\u201d, he emphasized.\n\nThe Resident Commissioner highlighted the resurgence of Puerto Rican coffee as a high-quality product, sustainably grown and linked to agricultural tourism and national identity. He also recognized the leadership of coffee cooperatives, especially those run by women, and the sector's potential as an economic driver for the island's mountainous regions.\n\nIn the wake of the recent tariff increase on Brazilian coffee imports, Hern\u00e1ndez highlighted the situation as a historic opportunity for the island: \u201cWith the new tariffs on Brazilian imports, U.S. roasters are looking for alternatives. Puerto Rico is not a foreign country: we are American soil, and we grow award-winning Arabica coffee. It is a great opportunity to grow, export, and generate wealth that stays at home,\u201d he said.\n\nThe event, held in the foyer of the Rayburn Building, adjacent to the Capitol, brought together countless guests to learn about and taste the potential of Puerto Rican coffee as part of the Resident Commissioner's efforts to bring Puerto Rican agriculture into the national debate.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T14:40:33Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://hernandez.house.gov/media/press-releases/comisionado-residente-pablo-jose-hernandez-lidera-encuentro-con-la-industria"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.9180190972983837, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}