The Fiscal Year 2014 budget proposed by U.S. House of Representatives Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI) would cut Federal healthcare funding for low and middle income individuals living in Puerto Rico and other U.S. territories while just eliminating increases for healthcare assistance in the States and the District of Columbia.Read More »Puerto Rico, Not States, Losing Healthcare Funds
An extensive New York Times analysis yesterday found that the political power of States with small populations was growing relative to States with large populations.
States with small populations have always had a relatively greater share in Federal decision-making but the article pointed out that the relative influence has been expanding due to population shifts.Read More »Smaller States See Power Grow, But All States Have More Clout Than Puerto Rico
Last night, the Daily Show with Jon Stewart took on the issue of statehood for Puerto Rico. The mock report featured “journalist” Al Madrigal attempting to convince demonstrators pushing for Puerto Rican statehood in a rally on Saturday, March 2nd that they would be better off without it.
Madrigal’s efforts – while humorous – were not successful. The people who attended the rally in front of the White House were committed to pushing for Puerto Rico’s entry as a new state of the United States.Read More »Puerto Rico Statehood Featured on the Daily Show with Jon Stewart
During a recent visit to Washington, DC, Puerto Rico’s new governor challenged the results of last November’s plebiscite, which was held along with his and other local elections.
Governor Alejandro Garcia Padilla said that the plebiscite was unfair because the ballot defined Puerto Rico’s current status as “territorial.”Read More »Governor’s Arguments Against Plebiscite Results Fail
Puerto Rico could lose more in Federal spending over the next nine and a half years than 40 States, the District of Columbia, and the other four territories of the United States under reductions in funding for most Federal programs that took effect March 1st.
The potential loss would be disproportionate in comparison to the U.S. territory’s population: Puerto Rico has more people than all but 21 States.Read More »Puerto Rico Could Lose More Funding than 40 States in Budget Cuts
Hundreds of demonstrators gathered yesterday in Washington DC and Puerto Rico to celebrate the 96th anniversary of the granting of U.S. citizenship to the people of Puerto Rico and to demand a new “full and equal” citizenship status based on the results of the November 6th plebiscite.Read More »Advocates Send Letter to President Obama Demanding “Full and Equal” Citizenship for Puerto Rico
A White House rally is being planned for this Saturday, March 2nd to celebrate the 96th anniversary of the granting of U.S. citizenship to Puerto Rico. Puerto Rican Resident Commissioner… Read More »March 2 Rally in Washington DC to Celebrate U.S. Citizenship for Puerto Rico
The 2012 congressional candidate of Puerto Rico’s ‘commonwealth’ party said February 22nd that the current governing “system of the island has collapsed” and that it needs a complete “reinvention,” according to El Nuevo Dia.
“Our model simply failed,” said Rafael Cox Alomar, who was Governor Garcia Padilla’s unsuccessful running mate for Puerto Rico’s lone seat in Congress with a vote only in committees of the U.S. House.Read More »‘Commonwealth’ party congressional candidate: ‘Commonwealth’ “System Has Collapsed”
The White House Sunday released reports on the impacts of budget cuts to take effect Friday on each State and on the District of Columbia — but failed to do a report on Puerto Rico. The territory was left out even though Puerto Rico has 1.2% of the national population and would be affected almost exactly like the States and the Nation’s capital.
When the omission was pointed out, aides in President Obama’s office rushed to issue a report on the impacts on Puerto Rico. But the first report issued Monday did not cover most of the reductions in assistance to the islands that were calculated for the States and DC.Read More »Puerto Rico Initially Left Out of White House Budget Reports
