SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
U.S. Rep. Nydia Velazquez (D-N.Y.) (L) speaks as Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) listens during a news conference to introduce the Puerto Rico Self-Determination Act of 2021 at Rayburn House Office Building on March 18, 2021 in Washington, D.C. (Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images)
'A Watershed Moment': House Approves Statehood Vote for Puerto Ricans
"For the first time in our nation's history, the U.S. recognized its role as a colonizing force," said Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
Dec 15, 2022
Reps. Nydia Velazquez and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, two of the four current Puerto Rican members of the U.S. House, were among those who celebrated the passage of the Puerto Rico Status Act on Thursday as lawmakers made history by approving a binding process for a referendum in the territory regarding potential statehood.
The proposal passed with a vote of 233-191, with 16 Republicans joining the Democratic Party in supporting it.
"We did it!" tweeted Velazquez (D-N.Y.).
\u201cThe Puerto Rico Status Act has passed 233-191.\n\nWe did it!\u201d— Rep. Nydia Velazquez (@Rep. Nydia Velazquez) 1671128963
The bill was finalized just hours before the vote, with lawmakers coming to a compromise between three different proposals favored by Puerto Rico's three political parties.
"The Puerto Rican Independence Party favors separating from the United States; the New Progressive Party favors statehood, and the Popular Democratic Party favors remaining a U.S. commonwealth," reported The New York Times. "Jenniffer Gonzalez-Colon, the resident commissioner of Puerto Rico and its lone representative in Congress, backed a compromise measure among competing plans."
After the bill passes, Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) said that "for the first time in our nation's history, the U.S. recognized its role as a colonizing force."
\u201cFor the first time in our nation\u2019s history, the U.S. recognized its role as a colonizing force. The Puerto Rico Status Act lays out a process for the Island to decide its own future. It doesn\u2019t favor statehood, independence, or free association. It allows Puerto Ricans to choose.\u201d— Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez) 1671126824
In 2021, Ocasio-Cortez and Velazquez introduced the Puerto Rico Self-Determination Act, which called for the creation of a status convention for residents to propose to Congress the status they want for the territory.
The White House supports the Puerto Rico Status Act, but with the majority of Republican lawmakers opposed, it is not expected to pass in the U.S. Senate.
Ocasio-Cortez told the Times that the bill's passage represents "a way point and a steppingstone for the future of our island."
"The gains that are made here are a watershed moment," she said.
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, The U.S. is on a fast track to authoritarianism like nothing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, corporate news outlets are utterly capitulating to Trump, twisting their coverage to avoid drawing his ire while lining up to stuff cash in his pockets. That's why I believe that Common Dreams is doing the best and most consequential reporting that we've ever done. Our small but mighty team is a progressive reporting powerhouse, covering the news every day that the corporate media never will. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. And to ignite change for the common good. Now here's the key piece that I want all our readers to understand: None of this would be possible without your financial support. That's not just some fundraising cliche. It's the absolute and literal truth. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. Will you donate now to help power the nonprofit, independent reporting of Common Dreams? Thank you for being a vital member of our community. Together, we can keep independent journalism alive when it’s needed most. - Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Reps. Nydia Velazquez and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, two of the four current Puerto Rican members of the U.S. House, were among those who celebrated the passage of the Puerto Rico Status Act on Thursday as lawmakers made history by approving a binding process for a referendum in the territory regarding potential statehood.
The proposal passed with a vote of 233-191, with 16 Republicans joining the Democratic Party in supporting it.
"We did it!" tweeted Velazquez (D-N.Y.).
\u201cThe Puerto Rico Status Act has passed 233-191.\n\nWe did it!\u201d— Rep. Nydia Velazquez (@Rep. Nydia Velazquez) 1671128963
The bill was finalized just hours before the vote, with lawmakers coming to a compromise between three different proposals favored by Puerto Rico's three political parties.
"The Puerto Rican Independence Party favors separating from the United States; the New Progressive Party favors statehood, and the Popular Democratic Party favors remaining a U.S. commonwealth," reported The New York Times. "Jenniffer Gonzalez-Colon, the resident commissioner of Puerto Rico and its lone representative in Congress, backed a compromise measure among competing plans."
After the bill passes, Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) said that "for the first time in our nation's history, the U.S. recognized its role as a colonizing force."
\u201cFor the first time in our nation\u2019s history, the U.S. recognized its role as a colonizing force. The Puerto Rico Status Act lays out a process for the Island to decide its own future. It doesn\u2019t favor statehood, independence, or free association. It allows Puerto Ricans to choose.\u201d— Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez) 1671126824
In 2021, Ocasio-Cortez and Velazquez introduced the Puerto Rico Self-Determination Act, which called for the creation of a status convention for residents to propose to Congress the status they want for the territory.
The White House supports the Puerto Rico Status Act, but with the majority of Republican lawmakers opposed, it is not expected to pass in the U.S. Senate.
Ocasio-Cortez told the Times that the bill's passage represents "a way point and a steppingstone for the future of our island."
"The gains that are made here are a watershed moment," she said.
Reps. Nydia Velazquez and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, two of the four current Puerto Rican members of the U.S. House, were among those who celebrated the passage of the Puerto Rico Status Act on Thursday as lawmakers made history by approving a binding process for a referendum in the territory regarding potential statehood.
The proposal passed with a vote of 233-191, with 16 Republicans joining the Democratic Party in supporting it.
"We did it!" tweeted Velazquez (D-N.Y.).
\u201cThe Puerto Rico Status Act has passed 233-191.\n\nWe did it!\u201d— Rep. Nydia Velazquez (@Rep. Nydia Velazquez) 1671128963
The bill was finalized just hours before the vote, with lawmakers coming to a compromise between three different proposals favored by Puerto Rico's three political parties.
"The Puerto Rican Independence Party favors separating from the United States; the New Progressive Party favors statehood, and the Popular Democratic Party favors remaining a U.S. commonwealth," reported The New York Times. "Jenniffer Gonzalez-Colon, the resident commissioner of Puerto Rico and its lone representative in Congress, backed a compromise measure among competing plans."
After the bill passes, Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) said that "for the first time in our nation's history, the U.S. recognized its role as a colonizing force."
\u201cFor the first time in our nation\u2019s history, the U.S. recognized its role as a colonizing force. The Puerto Rico Status Act lays out a process for the Island to decide its own future. It doesn\u2019t favor statehood, independence, or free association. It allows Puerto Ricans to choose.\u201d— Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez) 1671126824
In 2021, Ocasio-Cortez and Velazquez introduced the Puerto Rico Self-Determination Act, which called for the creation of a status convention for residents to propose to Congress the status they want for the territory.
The White House supports the Puerto Rico Status Act, but with the majority of Republican lawmakers opposed, it is not expected to pass in the U.S. Senate.
Ocasio-Cortez told the Times that the bill's passage represents "a way point and a steppingstone for the future of our island."
"The gains that are made here are a watershed moment," she said.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.