The permanent commissioner, Jenniffer González Colón, outlined her most immediate priorities for the island in a letter to the President of the United States, Joseph Biden, and in turn informed the new president that she was ready to adopt a two-party approach. work for the benefit of the Puerto Ricans.
“As the sole representative of the 3.2 million Puerto Ricans living in Puerto Rico, I would like to bring to your attention some of the issues that need to be urgently addressed,” the Resident Commissioner said in a written statement today.
Include the island as part of the effort to bring medical device manufacturing to American soil, make the transition from Puerto Rico to the Supplemental Nutrition Support Program (SNAP, for the acronym in English), as well as its application on the island the Child Tax Credit (CTC), the pursuit of equality under the Medicaid program, and granting sovereignty to Puerto Ricans are some of the priorities outlined in the letter.
Support for COVID-19
González Colón emphasized the capacity that Puerto Rico has, such as its human capital, infrastructure and experience, to contribute to the rapid production of medical and pharmaceutical equipment to counter the COVID pandemic and bring the manufacturing industry back to the United States .
He advocated that the following economic aid projects for COVID should include provisions that encourage manufacturing companies to increase production of this equipment while boosting the local economy.
In his inaugural address, President Biden asked Congress to approve $ 350 billion in additional aid for state and local governments. In connection with this, the commissioner advocated that the territories and Puerto Rico remain included.
The letter expresses support for part of President Biden’s proposal to set aside $ 1 billion in additional funding for the nutritional programs of the island, American Samoa and the Northern Mariana Islands. These are the three territories that are not currently participating in SNAP.
Likewise, it expresses its support for the plan outlined by the President to make the transition from the island to the SNAP program, an initiative that the Commissioner has backed and presented legislation and which it will promote again in this Congress.
Economic development
While Biden’s plan extends credit compensation for children to $ 3,000 per child and $ 3,500 for dependents under the age of 6, in Puerto Rico this benefit would only apply to families with more than two minors.
The commissioner urged the president to treat the island on an equal footing with that of the states and the District of Columbia and that this credit be applied so that families with one or two dependent minors can benefit.
In this second four-year period, the Commissioner presented HR 106, Tax Credits for Dependent Children (CTC), a measure that allows families with one or two dependent underage persons to claim them on their tax returns. The CTC in Puerto Rico is said to benefit 355,000 low-income families and 404,000 children.
Health
González Colón also advocated a permanent solution to fund Puerto Rico’s Medicad program and to eradicate treatment inequalities and meet the island’s health needs.
By the end of this fiscal year, federal funding for the Medicaid program will drop to $ 350 million per year, for a program costing $ 3 billion per year.
Additionally, the federal Medicaid Contribution for Services Provided (FMAP) will return from 76 percent to the amount that applies to the 55 percent areas, which is well below the 83 percent FMAP that Puerto Rico could benefit from. If the formula used for the states and district of Colombia is applied, ”the commissioner said in her letter.
Statehood
González Colón closed his letter with the president that the discriminatory treatment Puerto Rico receives under these federal programs is due to its territorial status.
On the same day of their election, the people of Puerto Rico reaffirmed their desire to achieve full equality among the American nation as a state of the Union, with the rights and obligations that entail. On the day of his inauguration, members of our National Guard, who do not have the right to vote for their commander-in-chief, defended the capital. We count on your commitment and that of your government to do justice and resolve the status of the island in accordance with the mandate of the people, ”concluded the commissioner in her letter.