Congresswoman Jenniffer Gonzalez-Colon represents 3.2 million people, but could not vote on a bill that would allow them to determine their future.
For Gonzalez-Colon, the resident-commissioner of Puerto Rico who is a non-voting member of Congress, it’s one example why the bill, which the House passed by a 233-191 vote on Thursday, is so important.
The legislation would schedule a vote in 2023 and give Puerto Ricans three options: statehood, independence or free association. The first two options are obvious: Either Puerto Rico would become the 51st state or it would be an independent country. Free association is a bit more complex. Puerto Rico would be a sovereign nation but enter into a compact with the U.S. covering a range of issues, including economic and military relations.
There are three freely associated states that have such agreements with the United States — the Federated States of Micronesia, Marshall Islands and Palau.
Gonzalez-Colon, a Republican, was involved in drafting the legislation sponsored by U.S. Rep. Raul Grijalva, an Arizona Democrat.
“While we consider a bill I helped write — a bill that will directly impact the life of every citizen I represent,” she said on the House floor Thursday, “I still must rely and depend on everybody here because I cannot vote on the floor. This is the best example of why this bill is so important for Puerto Rico.”
But Gonzalez-Colon did not receive a lot of support from members of her own party. Sixteen Republicans, including New York U.S. Reps. Andrew Garbarino and John Katko, voted for the bill. Katko, R-Camillus, briefly lived in Puerto Rico when he was a federal prosecutor.
Most Republicans opposed the bill. U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik, a New Yorker who is the House Republican Conference chair, reiterated her support for a separate bill that would admit Puerto Rico as the 51st state. But she voted against the legislation on Thursday because it could allow Puerto Rico to become an independent nation.
“The United States should bring the over 3 million American citizens in Puerto Rico closer, rather than pushing them farther away,” she said.
Democrats were united their support for the legislation. U.S. Rep. Nydia Velazquez, who was born in Puerto Rico and represents parts of three New York City boroughs, railed against what she described as Puerto Rico’s “colonial crisis” and called for action to address the island’s relationship with the United States.
Colonialism, she said, has destroyed Puerto Rico’s economy and “eaten away our people’s sense of dignity and self worth.”
“The time has come to fully decolonize Puerto Rico,” Velazquez added.
It’s unlikely that the bill will be considered by the Senate before the end of the current Congress. The next Congress will be seated on Jan. 3 and any bills that do not receive congressional approval must be reintroduced next year.
President Joe Biden previously said he supports statehood for Puerto Rico. The White House released a statement supporting the House bill, with Biden urging Congress to “act swiftly to put the future of Puerto Rico’s political status in the hands of Puerto Ricans, where it belongs.”
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