Fred Costello, a Republican candidate for Congress in Florida’s 6th District, is calling on Congress to take action toward resolving Puerto Rico’s political status. Costello’s remarks are consistent with the political state of play in Florida, in which numerous candidates – including Sen. Nelson (D-FL) and his opponent Gov. Rick Scott (R-FL) – have announced… Read more »

It can be hard for observers to understand why Americans living in the 50 States can see Puerto Rico experiencing grave hardship and look away. After all, these are fellow U.S. citizens, people who serve in the U.S. military, a territory of — and therefore the responsibility of — the United States. One of the… Read more »

The first estimate of deaths caused by Hurricane Maria’s landfall in Puerto Rico was 64. There were, at that point, just 64 confirmed deaths in the U.S. territory. Later, as communication with rural areas was restored, that number grew. Deaths from contaminated water, deaths of individuals in Intensive Care units which had no electricity to… Read more »

Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT) spoke last week about Puerto Rico and his new bill, cosponsored by Senator Marco Rubio. “Mr. President,” Senator Hatch began, “I am here today to discuss new legislation to help Puerto Rico gain a stronger fiscal footing.” “Last Thursday I introduced a bill cosponsored by Senator Rubio entitled ‘The Puerto Rico… Read more »

Memorial Day, a day honoring those who died in active military service, is naturally important in Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico has sent more men and women into military service than most states: 18,000 in World War I 65,000 in World War II 61,000 in the Korean War 48,000 in the Vietnam War 10,000 in the… Read more »

Will enclaves of ethnic Puerto Rican voters tip the balance of power in Washington? Nationwide there are over 5 million Americans who are of Puerto Rican origin. It now appears that these Puerto Rican voters could emerge in the 2018 mid-term elections as a cohesive swing vote in battleground races that will determine which national… Read more »

U.S. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-UT) this afternoon criticized the administration of Puerto Rico Governor Ricardo Rossello Nevares, the PROMESA Financial Oversight and Management Board, and recent statements of former Obama Administration officials regarding aid for the territory – with his harshest criticism directed at the Rossello Administration. Hatch began a statement on… Read more »

The General Accounting Office has released a report to Congress:  “Puerto Rico – Factors Contributing to the Debt Crisis and Potential Federal Actions to Address Them.” The report provides an update on the financial position of Puerto Rico, which includes $70 billion in outstanding public debt and $50 billion in unfunded pension liabilities. Causes of… Read more »

Puerto Rico’s political status has had a significant impact on recovery efforts on the Island. Without the political power of a State, Puerto Rico is still struggling to restore basic services months after the 2017 hurricane season. With the 2018 hurricane season on the horizon, the territory is still living with the outdated and dilapidated… Read more »