The Republican majority on the House Rules Committee rejected proposals from Democratic congresswomen Nydia Velázquez and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to request information on the increase in US military operations in Puerto Rico. The proposals were part of the defense spending authorization bill and aimed to obtain reports on military exercises and cleanup efforts in Vieques. Velázquez sought a report from the Pentagon on resumed military exercises and the status of cleanup efforts in Vieques, where the federal government still needs to decontaminate and clean up land after six decades of bombings and training led by the US Navy.
Ocasio-Cortez proposed an amendment to require the Department of Defense to publish a report on the use of any military facility in Puerto Rico within 90 days. The Republican majority approved the rules for debating the legislation, excluding the initiatives of the Puerto Rican federal lawmakers. Velázquez stated that Congress has allocated over $327 million for the cleanup of Vieques, but its residents are still waiting for the land and water to be restored.
The US Marine Corps reported in May that the 24th Expeditionary Unit assumed the mission of rapid tactical response for the Caribbean and Latin America from the former naval base in Ceiba.