As one of their final acts as the majority party in the House, Democrats put forward and passed a bill aimed at what they say is “decolonizing” the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico by allowing its residents to choose what sort of relationship they want to have with the United States going forward.
The bill passed 233-191 by House Dems and a few Republican members would provide for a binding referendum in Puerto Rico in which those who live there would be able to vote for one of three options: independence, independence with “free association,” or statehood. Notably, the referendum vote would not allow residents the option to maintain their current standing as a U.S. commonwealth.
Democrat Rep. Steny Hoyer (MD) said the path to this week’s vote was “long and torturous” and that “for far too long, the people of Puerto Rico have been excluded from the full promise of American democracy and self-determination that our nation has always championed.”
The current Governor of Puerto Rico Pedro Pierluisi who is in the “New Progressive Party” that wants statehood said his party’s “quest to decolonize Puerto Rico is a civil rights issue,” though not all residents of the island agree.
The Associated Press reported that Puerto Rican attorney Pablo José Hernández Rivera “said approval of the bill by the House would be ‘inconsequential’ like the approval of previous bills in 1998 and 2010. ‘We Puerto Ricans are tired of the fact that the New Progressive Party has spent 28 years in Washington spending resources on sterile and undemocratic status projects,’ he said.”
I am glad to hear this. Puerto Rico has always been considered a territory but now will be an actual state. In 2024 there is no doubt that Joe Biden will be re-elected thanks to this vote.
Both are the last thing this country needs!
They better get it done before Jan 2023 because the House goes to the Republicans !!! LOL
Having Steny Hoyer as my representative has been “long and torturous”…
Hell NO !!! We can’t afford to build their country from Poverty !!! They had their chance before & turned us
down !!! All they want is Our $$$ & benefits !!
We can’t take care of this country & don’t have the money to rebuild theirs !!!
Democrats want to SPEND all the money they can to Ruin America !!! Out of their Minds !!! Hell No
Most in Puerto Rico don’t even like Americans !!! They are Third World alot like Mexico !!!
Just Where the hell is the $$$$ going to come from to take on such a big expense ??????????
What’s next > we make Mexico a state !!!! ??????
Next Guam a state / Samoa a state / where is the Money ????
WE don’t need to make a third world country a state , who in the past did not even want to be a state !!!!!
It would cost TRILLIONS to re-build this country ( US Territory by name ) !!! We cannot Afford it !! No Thanks !!!
Only another BAIL-OUT we can’t Afford !!!!!!!!
We will Trade it for California !!!! Kick that one out of the Union !!!!
They just want another BLUE state to win their Crooked Elections !!!!!!
We can’t afford to Bail out Puerto Rico !!!!! They get Enough of our benefits as it is !!! They refused to be a state !
whats one more little bean in a bowl full of beans?
Missing the point – focus isn’t on DC becoming a state. Aint that interesting.
Puerto Rico is an island where many big $$$$$$$ folks hide. Becoming a state will be cheaper than all that $$$$ we have sent Ukraine and other countries year in year out.
No it isn’t. Are you thinking of the Caymans? Puerto Rico is largely under developed outside if San Juan, and they have terrible infrastructure.