House Approves Bill Opening Door to Puerto Rican Statehood

December 15, 2022 by Dan McCue
House Approves Bill Opening Door to Puerto Rican Statehood
A woman waves the flag of Puerto Rico during a news conference on Puerto Rican statehood on Capitol Hill in Washington, March 2, 2021. The U.S. House has passed a bill that would allow Puerto Rico to hold the first-ever binding referendum on whether to become a state or gain some sort of independence. It is a last-ditch effort that stands little chance of passing the Senate. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File)

WASHINGTON — The House passed the Puerto Rico Status Act on Thursday, a bill that would allow Puerto Rico to hold the first-ever binding referendum on whether to become a state or gain some sort of independence.

Though the bill currently stands little chance of passing in the Senate, it received a significant amount of bipartisan support in the lower chamber, where it passed by a 233-191 vote.

Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., who has worked on the issue throughout his career, said on the floor of the House Thursday that Congress owed it to Puerto Ricans “to bring an end to their island’s 124-year-old status as a U.S. territory and to grant them control over their island’s political future. 

“This bipartisan legislation would organize and fund a binding, island-wide plebiscite that would allow the people of Puerto Rico to vote among three options: statehood, independence or sovereignty in free association with the United States,” he said.

“Additionally, it would implement a comprehensive, nonpartisan public-education campaign to help voters understand the implications of each option long before any ballots are cast,” Hoyer continued.

“This bipartisan bill also includes a variety of oversight measures to ensure that the election is secure, transparent and fair,” he said. “I have long believed that Puerto Ricans deserve the right to determine their political destiny, which is why I convened a group of House members and senior Puerto Rico officials and worked with them to reach this long-sought consensus on a path forward for self-determination.” 

“For more than a century, Puerto Rico has been governed under a political system imposed by outside forces rather than established by its own people,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said. “Denied the right to a vote in Congress or for president, Puerto Rico’s territorial status has often left it vulnerable to unequal treatment — including the previous administration’s cruel withholding of disaster aid in the wake of Hurricanes Maria and Irma.  

“The Puerto Rico Status Act will empower the people of Puerto Rico to choose for themselves how to move forward: statehood, independence or sovereignty in free association with the United States,” she said.

The proposal would commit Congress to accept Puerto Rico into the United States as the 51st state if voters on the island approve it.

But Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., was among those who objected both to the bill and the way it was brought to the House floor.

Though she said she supports statehood for Puerto Rico, she was disturbed the bill would also give the island’s voters the choice of independence.

“The United States should bring the over 3 million American citizens in Puerto Rico closer, rather than pushing them further away,” she said.

Stefanik also objected to the way the bill was brought to the floor “without a committee hearing on the text.” 

“A proposal as complicated and impactful as statehood requires a thorough review and debate,” she said.

Dan can be reached at [email protected] and @DanMcCue

A+
a-
  • Congress
  • independence
  • Puerto Rican Statehood
  • Puerto Rico
  • statehood
  • In The News

    Health

    Voting

    Congress

    April 18, 2025
    by Tom Ramstack
    Democrats in Congress Demand Retraction of Trump’s Order on Smithsonian Museums

    WASHINGTON — U.S. House Democrats asked in a letter Thursday that the Trump administration abandon the president’s order that would... Read More

    WASHINGTON — U.S. House Democrats asked in a letter Thursday that the Trump administration abandon the president’s order that would rewrite the way the Smithsonian Institution portrays American history. President Donald Trump issued an executive order in March telling the Smithsonian Institution to eliminate the negative... Read More

    April 10, 2025
    by Dan McCue
    Stefanik Resumes GOP House Leadership Role

    WASHINGTON — Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., is back in House leadership, a month after President Donald Trump withdrew her nomination... Read More

    WASHINGTON — Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., is back in House leadership, a month after President Donald Trump withdrew her nomination to be his United Nations ambassador due to concerns over the Republicans’ narrow margin in the chamber. On Wednesday, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., appointed Stefanik... Read More

    April 10, 2025
    by Dan McCue
    Speaker Johnson Victorious After Conservative Revolt on Budget Resolution

    WASHINGTON — House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., was able to quell a rebellion by several of his conservative conference members... Read More

    WASHINGTON — House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., was able to quell a rebellion by several of his conservative conference members and pass a budget resolution that will fund several key parts of President Donald Trump’s legislative agenda. The revolt by nearly a dozen members of the... Read More

    April 10, 2025
    by Beth McCue
    California Lawmakers Lead Push to Preserve Hydrogen Hub Funding

    WASHINGTON — California’s Democratic Sens. Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff, along with Reps. George Whitesides and Mike Levin, led a... Read More

    WASHINGTON — California’s Democratic Sens. Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff, along with Reps. George Whitesides and Mike Levin, led a bipartisan, bicameral delegation of 45 lawmakers in a letter asking the Department of Energy to preserve funding for hydrogen production hubs. The delegation specifically targeted California’s... Read More

    April 9, 2025
    by Dan McCue
    Trump Puts 90-Day Pause on 'Reciprocal' Tariffs as Trade Rep Visits Capitol Hill

    WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Wednesday said he would pause his “reciprocal” tariffs on most countries for 90 days,... Read More

    WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Wednesday said he would pause his “reciprocal” tariffs on most countries for 90 days, but he also raised tariffs on imports from China to 125% after Beijing imposed retaliatory tariffs on U.S.-made goods a day earlier. In a post on... Read More

    Republicans Going Public With Their Growing Worries About Trump's Tariffs

    WASHINGTON (AP) — Manufacturers struggling to make long-term plans. Farmers facing retaliation from Chinese buyers. U.S. households burdened with higher... Read More

    WASHINGTON (AP) — Manufacturers struggling to make long-term plans. Farmers facing retaliation from Chinese buyers. U.S. households burdened with higher prices. Republican senators are confronting the Trump administration with those worries and many more as they fret about the economic impact of the president's sweeping tariff strategy that... Read More

    News From The Well
    scroll top