Puerto Rico residents cannot receive benefits under the U.S. Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) as residents of the states, United States Virgin Islands and Guam do. Instead, Puerto Rico is provided a capped amount of funding, referred to as the Nutrition Assistance Program or NAP, which provides much less support than SNAP. For years, some members of Congress have advocated for a transition from NAP to SNAP for the Island. The Puerto Rico Nutrition Assistance Fairness Act of 2023, which is pending in both the House (H.R. 253) and the Senate (S. 949), calls for this change. As mo ..read more

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has issued a report on a problematic exclusion of U.S. territories from data collection. Without reliable data, it’s difficult to make informed decisions about the needs and capacities of  the territories. It’s challenging to determine whether programs are meeting their goals, and to track the results of initiatives or events. The report concludes with a note referencing the three U.S. Freely Associated States, making it clear that “[t]he Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Palau are independe ..read more

The proposed Puerto Rico Status Act (PRSA) shines a spotlight on the unusual free association arrangements that the U.S. has with three Pacific Island nations: Palau, the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) and the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM). Puerto Rican observers are now wondering if a similar relationship would work for a sovereign Puerto Rico. Extensive U.S. military authority is a defining aspect of free association, which could prove complicated for Puerto Rico.The U.S. Navy once had a strong military presence on the Puerto Rican island of Vieques, but Navy ships and personn ..read more

On May 1, U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) released key points of the Rural Prosperity and Food Security Act, a long awaited legislative proposal that reauthorizes major national agriculture programs, most notably federal nutrition assistance.  Among the Senate bill’s many provisions is a proposal to return Puerto Rico into the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). The same day, U.S. House Agriculture Committee Chairman Glenn “GT” Thompson (R-PA) unveiled an overview of a related House proposal.  The House bill did not include a ..read more

Jorge Rivera-Herrans is an actor, composer, and musician who  describes himself foremost as a storyteller. He is becoming increasingly well know for a new musical he has written and is widely distributing on social media called Epic. Inevitably, Dorado, Puerto Rico native is being compared with Lin Manuel-Miranda, another multi-talented Puerto Rican composer best known for his musical, Hamilton. Epic is different from Hamilton, though. It is an online-only musical released in a series of nine installments called sagas. Viewers can download the soundtrack on Amazon or Apple Music for 99 ce ..read more

In an April 30th social media post, Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) announced his support for the Puerto Rico Status Act (PRSA). The PRSA is one of only 105 bills that the Senate Democratic Leader has cosponsored this year. There have been more than four thousand bills introduced in the Senate during the current Congressional session, but as the Senate’s top Democrat, Sen. Schumer rarely lends his name to pending legislation. Schumer has also cosponsored the Puerto Rico Nutrition Assistance Fairness Act of 2023, led by fellow New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D), to reinstate th ..read more

Automation is on the rise across the nation, increasing productivity, helping to solve labor shortages, and bringing manufacturing back to the United States — while also worrying workers who feel that their jobs may be threatened. Is Puerto Rico an exception? Automation is increasing in Puerto Rico, too Automation is increasing in Puerto Rico across many sectors. Dairy farming is one of the most important elements of Puerto Rico’s agriculture industry, so it shouldn’t be surprising that this is one of the areas that is seeing progress in automation. In 2020, the Island’s first automated dairy ..read more

China’s increasing aggressiveness in the Global South has been causing alarm in many circles. Puerto Rico legislator Rep. José Aponte Hernández joined the chorus with a recent statement as reported in the San Juan Daily Star. “The creation of dual infrastructure on the islands of Antigua and Barbuda, because the docks and, in particular, the airport, are being developed for the purpose of being used for the landing and take-off of Communist Chinese bombers, is the greatest threat to our nation since the Soviet Union established a robust military presence in Cuba in 1961,” Aponte Hernández said ..read more

Five percent of New Jersey’s population is of Puerto Rican heritage — that’s about 462,995 people. Puerto Ricans are the largest group within New Jersey’s Hispanic population, and New Jersey ranks #3 in Puerto Rican population nationwide.  The state takes pride in its Puerto Rico Commission, which was formed with the goals of “supporting ongoing recovery efforts, exploring economic development opportunities, and promoting educational and cultural exchange between New Jersey and Puerto Rico.” New Jersey’s Members of Congress are a presence on federal legislation that has a Puerto Rican foc ..read more

The U.S. government has come out in opposition to Guam and American Samoa – two U.S. territories – joining the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) . “Because the United States is not a member of the PIF and because of the political nature and foreign policy aspects of the PIF,” U.S. government  officials explained on a website that has apparently since been taken down, “the State Department’s position is that it is inappropriate for U.S. territories to participate in the PIF independently, in any capacity.” “By way of background, the State Department does not agree to territories representing the ..read more