This was a vote on an amendment by Rep. Jeff Flake to transportation, housing, and urban affairs legislation that would have eliminated a provision of the bill providing $150,000 for the construction of a children's playground in Yauco, Puerto Rico.

Flake urged support for his amendment: “This amendment would prohibit $150,000 from being spent on the construction of a child's playground. Now I am the father of five children. I understand the importance of having a place for kids to play. Believe me, kids need to let loose and expend some energy somewhere. But federal spending has been let loose, far too loose, so loose that we have this year a $1.4 trillion deficit. We are borrowing 42 cents on every dollar that we spend.  When we are doing this, we can't just all of a sudden say we are going to build playgrounds anywhere as a model for economic development or anything else. We can't continue to spend money this way.”

Del. Pedro Pierluisi (D-Puerto Rico) urged opposition to the amendment: “I requested $150,000 to purchase equipment for a community and recreational park for low-income children in Yauco, Puerto Rico, a city in the southwestern part of the island….There currently is no recreational park in Yauco, which is home to approximately 50,000 residents, has a poverty rate of 56 percent and has an unemployment rate of over 17 percent. Furthermore, although there are over 75,000 children in Puerto Rico, I am advised that there is not a single recreational park in the entire southwestern region of Puerto Rico that is…accessible to children with disabilities.”

The House rejected Flake’s amendment by a vote of 159-264. 146 Republicans and 13 Democrats voted “yea.” 243 Democrats and 21 Republicans voted “nay.” As a result, the House rejected an amendment to transportation, housing, and urban affairs legislation that would have eliminated a provision of the bill providing $150,000 for the construction of a children's playground in Yauco, Puerto Rico.