Senator Charles E. Grassley (R-IA), the Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, wrote to Governor Wanda Vázquez Garced in April, expressing his concerns about possible improprieties in the distribution of relief in Puerto Rico. “Unfortunately,” Chairman Grassley wrote, “there have been recent troubling revelations regarding instability of leadership in Puerto Rico’s health system, as well… Read more »

The Puerto Rico State Election Commission has released its proposed ballot for the plebiscite to be held on November 3. The next step is for the Commission to send the ballot to the United States Department of Justice for its approval, which would also trigger the release of $ 2.5 million in federal funds to… Read more »

A new law, the “Act to Define Puerto Rico’s Ultimate Political Status,” has been enacted in Puerto Rico. The law includes the details of the upcoming plebiscite, from the design of the ballot to the accessibility of polling places. It also includes an extensive section explaining the consequences of Puerto Rico remaining a territory. A… Read more »

Memorial Day is a special day set aside to honor and remember those who gave their lives in military service. Men and women from Puerto Rico have participated in every U.S. conflict since the Revolutionary War. Bernardo de Galvez, named Governor of Louisiana in 1777, supported the British Colonists during the Revolutionary War with an… Read more »

Several Members of the House Committee on Natural Resources sent a letter to U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary (HHS) Alex Azar on May 18 to seek clarity on HHS criteria for prioritizing the distribution of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) resources to U.S. territories. “[I]t is important to know if HHS is taking territories’ fragile… Read more »

Governor Wanda Vazquez Garced has announced the there will be a status referendum on November 3rd, 2020, the general Election Day. Puerto Ricans do not have the opportunity to vote in presidential elections, but the territory holds elections on the same date States use for presidential votes. This will also be the opportunity to vote… Read more »

Rep. Nydia Velazquez (D-NY) asked why Puerto Rico and other U.S. territories were not included in the Federal Reserve’s emergency lending program at a House Financial Services virtual round table discussion. Federal Reserve Vice Chair of Supervision Randal Quarles said that Puerto Rico was not eligible for the loans, and that additional debt would not… Read more »

The Democratic majority in the House of Representatives has proposed a new coronavirus relief bill called “the HEROES Act,” which stands for the ‘‘Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions Act.’’ El Nuevo Dia estimates that the total payments to the Island could near $20 billion. An early version of the bill lists many allocations… Read more »

Congress has passed three bills providing economic relief to individuals and businesses affected by COVID-19. The first bill is known as the Families First Act. One provision of the act, the Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer (P-EBT), is intended to provide additional food resources for children who usually get free meals at school. Since this is… Read more »