The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) had authorized $8.2 billion in funding for Puerto Rico under HUD’s Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Relief, or CDBG-DR, program. The funds were allocated but were not actually provided to Puerto Rico. HUD had placed restrictions on the funds, including a special monitor who came on board… Read more »

For the first time since 2013, the Natural Resources Committee is holding a hearing which is broadly focused on Puerto Rico’s political status. In 2013, the hearing concluded with a statement by the chair, Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR). “Two out of three of you seem to believe that the current status and enhanced Commonwealth are… Read more »

April 13th, 2021, is the first national Borinqueneers Day. The national holiday was proclaimed by Congress earlier this year. A ceremony honoring this day took place at Puerto Rican Veterans Memorial in Boston’s South End on Saturday. Many events led up to the celebration. On April 13th, 2016, the Borinqueneers received the Congressional Gold Medal, the… Read more »

A Congressional hearing scheduled for April 14th will consider the two bills on Puerto Rico’s political status that are currently pending before the U.S. House of Representatives: HR 1522 and HR 2070. Both have companion bills in the Senate. HR 1522 At its core, HR 1522 recognizes previous referendums in Puerto Rico and provides a… Read more »

Next week’s hearing on Puerto Rico’s status will be different from other hearings on the Island’s political status. Instead of focusing on the traditional trio of political viewpoints in Puerto Rico — representing statehood, some version of “commonwealth,” and independence — the hearing will focus instead on two bills now in Congress: HR 1522 and… Read more »

Puerto Rico’s Fiscal Oversight and Management Board (FOMB), established under PROMESA (the Puerto Rico Oversight, Management, and Economic Stability Act) in 2016, shared a presentation at its most recent hearing outlining the COVID-19 relief funds Congress has approved for Puerto Rico. Federal COVID-19 relief funds The FOMB estimates that Puerto Rico will receive $45 billion… Read more »

The House Natural Resources Committee, which oversees issues relating to Puerto Rico and other U.S. territories, will hold a hearing on two status proposals currently before Congress. The hearing is scheduled for April 14th, at 1:00 p.m. The two bills, H.R. 1522 introduced by Rep. Darren Soto (D-FL) and H.R. 2070 introduced by Rep. Nydia Velázquez (D-NY),… Read more »

The House Natural Resources Committee held a hearing on how the Biden Build Back Better plan will affect U.S. territories, including Puerto Rico. Governor Pedro Pierluisi provided testimony on the circumstances faced by the territory, explaining that the territorial status of the Island has affected its success, and will continue to do so. Beginning at about… Read more »

There are currently two bills in the U.S. House of Representatives that seek to resolve Puerto Rico’s status as a territory of the U.S. The first proposal introduced, the Puerto Rico Statehood Admission Act (HR 1522) asks Congress to respond to the November 2020 referendum, in which statehood won with more than 52% of the… Read more »