Bananas have been a threatened crop for years. Wired Magazine went so far as to say that the familiar yellow banana “will soon be gone.” Americans eat about 26 pounds of bananas per person per year, and bananas are a bellwether for pricing — that is, most of us know how much bananas cost. If… Read more »

If Puerto Rico becomes a State, residents will be eligible for SNAP (the food stamps program) just as residents of States are. In the meantime, however, U.S. citizens living in Puerto Rico have limited  benefits for nutrition assistance. Not only are the amounts provided to families much lower in Puerto Rico than in any State,… Read more »

Senator Rick Scott (R-FL) and Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) introduced a resolution in the Senate celebrating the 500th anniversary of the founding of Puerto Rico’s capital city, San Juan, while Congresswoman Jenniffer Gonzalez-Colon  has introduced a companion bill in the House. Cosponsors include Reps Nydia Velazquez ([D-NY), Stephanie Murphy (D-FL), Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL), Carlos Gimenez… Read more »

On June 25, Rep. Katie Porter (D-CA) addressed her colleagues in the U.S. House of Representatives to speak about the impact and implications of nuclear testing conducted in the Republic of the Marshall Islands from 1946 to 1958, during which time 67 tests of nuclear weapons were conducted on Bikini and Enewetak Atolls. See Rep…. Read more »

The Supreme Court is in the midst of deciding whether the U.S. Dept. of Justice is in the right when they defend the decision by Congress to exclude Puerto Rico (and other U.S. Territories) from SSI, Supplemental Security Income, financial assistance awarded to people who are needy, elderly, and who have disabilities. The Social Security… Read more »

A new House Joint Resolution has been proposed. H.J.Res. 42 would introduce “an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to provide that a new State may only be admitted into the Union upon a vote of two-thirds of each House of Congress.” The resolution was introduced by Tom McClintock (R-CA). It currently has… Read more »

Non-profit Invest Puerto Rico is promoting Puerto Rico as “an emerging entrepreneurial paradise.” Are they right? They report that more than 15,000 people have participated in entrepreneurship programs backed by the Puerto Rico Science, Technology, & Research Trust (PRSTRT). They point to a range of factors: An educated, bilingual workforce A network of co-working spaces… Read more »

Puerto Rico is offering a Return-to-Work Incentive Program, as are a number of states, including Kentucky, Arizona, and Maine. The Return-to-Work Incentive Programs are intended to encourage American workers to return to the workforce at a time when many employers are having trouble filling positions. The funds are directed specifically toward people on unemployment benefits…. Read more »

There are currently two bills on Puerto Rico status being considered in Congress, and specifically in the House Natural Resources Committee: HR 1522 HR 2070 The two bills seem to be in direct conflict with each other. HR 1522 recognizes the November 2020 referendum, in which a majority of voters chose statehood. It calls for… Read more »

China is investing heavily in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), and may also be working hard to improve public perception of China in that part of the world. The United States, on the other hand, has been exerting less influence in the region. The percentage of exports from LAC to China went from 1.1%… Read more »