December 16, 2022 - Washington, D.C. – Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued this statement yesterday after the House passed the Puerto Rico Status Act:

“Today’s historic vote is a key step toward ensuring that Puerto Rico’s future is one of its own choosing.  With the Puerto Rico Status Act, the Democratic House has proudly voted to tear down the vestiges of colonialism – honoring the dignity, equality and basic rights of more than three million American citizens.  The House is deeply grateful to our distinguished Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, Chair Raúl Grijalva, Chair Nydia Velázquez, Congressman Darren Soto and Congresswoman Jenniffer González-Colón for diligently engaging stakeholders across Puerto Rico and skillfully crafting this deeply needed legislation.

“For more than a century, Puerto Rico has been governed under a political system imposed by outside forces rather than established by its own people.  Denied the right to a vote in Congress or for President, Puerto Rico’s territorial status has often left it vulnerable to unequal treatment – including the previous administration’s cruel withholding of disaster aid in the wake of Hurricanes Maria and Irma.  The Puerto Rico Status Act will empower the people of Puerto Rico to choose for themselves how to move forward: statehood, independence or sovereignty in free association with the United States.

“House Democrats are committed to advancing liberty, justice and prosperity for all – in the states, in Puerto Rico, in the District of Columbia and across the territories.”