Puerto Rico

WASHINGTON — Four Puerto-Rico-based teams have been selected to install solar and battery storage systems across the island under a new program supported by the Department of Energy’s Puerto Rico Energy Resilience Fund. The Programa de Comunidades Resilientes represents an... Read More

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... Read More

WASHINGTON — The president and treasurer of a super PAC active in a Puerto Rican election in 2020 was sentenced today to 14 months in prison for scheming to lie to the Federal Election Commission about the true identities of... Read More

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Puerto Ricans generally supported statehood for their Caribbean island during a congressional field hearing in the capital city of San Juan on Saturday while expressing deep concern about the unknowns it might bring. A group... Read More

WASHINGTON — Puerto Rico’s five-year struggle to free itself from crushing debt ended Tuesday when a federal judge signed off on the U.S. territory’s bankruptcy plan. The restructuring cuts Puerto Rico’s public debt from $33 billion to just over $7.4... Read More

WASHINGTON -- The chances for Puerto Rico to become the 51st U.S. state never seemed brighter than during a congressional hearing Wednesday, despite opposition from top Republicans. Congress is expected to vote on a bill that proposes Puerto Rican statehood... Read More

WASHINGTON -- Islands that fall under U.S. protection asked Congress for help Thursday from the climate change that is making their shores sink into the ocean and subjecting them to devastating hurricanes. With so little land compared with the U.S.... Read More

WASHINGTON — On Nov. 3, 2020, Puerto Rico held its sixth referendum on the status of the island’s sovereignty. And while the majority, 52%, of voters opted for statehood, Puerto Rico’s current relationship to the United States remains as complicated... Read More

Residents of Puerto Rico will be casting a telling vote this November -- one that could decide whether the island -- now a territory of the United States -- will seek statehood or not. While the referendum is non-binding because... Read More

WASHINGTON - As of this week, eight states - Connecticut, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Ohio and Rhode Island - and one territory - Puerto Rico - have postponed their presidential primary elections due to the coronavirus outbreak. Additionally, three... Read More

WASHINGTON - Rep. Stephanie Murphy, D-Fla., will lead a bipartisan congressional delegation to Puerto Rico on Sunday, January 19, to examine the damage and disruption caused by the recent earthquakes. The delegation, which also includes Resident Commissioner Jenniffer González-Colón, R-Puerto... Read More
ATLANTA — A faulty test was used to screen hundreds of Puerto Ricans who applied for Georgia driver’s licenses and identification cards over many years, a new Georgia Bureau of Investigation report shows. Department of Driver Services investigators used the... Read More

WASHINGTON - Reps. Stephanie Murphy and Mario Diaz-Balart, both of Florida, are leading a push in the House to ensure that states receive the extra education funding they need to accommodate refugee students from hurricane-ravaged Puerto Rico. The bill, called... Read More
Thousands of protesters have taken to the streets of San Juan, Puerto Rico, for a second straight week demanding the resignation of Gov. Ricardo Rosselló. The demonstrations arose after hundreds of pages of offensive chat messages between the governor and... Read More