The President of the States, Joe Biden, supports the convening of a new referendum as a mechanism to define the political status of Puerto Rico, according to the spokesman for the president, Jen Psaki.
“The president is in favor of a referendum for Puerto Rico and for Puerto Ricans to decide the way forward,” Psaki said at a conference at the White House today when asked if the president supports statehood. for Puerto Rico and Washington, DC.
In contrast, for Washington DC, Psaki said the president supports statehood for the federal capital, but did not offer when he could be incorporated. “By far, the president has supported the statehood for DC. But I don’t have a deadline or a plan outlined, but he continues to support it,” Psaki added.
For his part, Psaki also indicated that the Biden administration continues to support Puerto Ricans to have access to Supplemental Social Security (SSI). However, the press spokeswoman did not specify the reasons why the Biden administration did not give up appealing the First Circuit decision to the federal Supreme Court. The ruling of the First Circuit in Boston endorsed that Puerto Rican residents could receive the SSI benefit.
“We are working with Congress to address the parity of federal programs for Puerto Ricans in two critical areas. First, in the ‘American Rescue Plan [paquete de estímulo económico por el COVID-19], Where Puerto Ricans would have parity in credit for minors [Child Tax Credit] and in the Accrued Income Credit [Earned Income Tax Credit]”Which are key to reducing poverty on the island,” Psaki said.
“In addition, we support legislation to ensure Puerto Rican residents access to Social Security benefits and we will work with Congress on that … These are separate issues, so the federal Department of Justice could speak more effectively. that we on the case in the Supreme Court, “he noted.
Psaki’s remarks come just a day after resident commissioner Jenniffer González submitted yesterday, along with Puerto Rican congresswoman Darren Soto, a bill that seeks to admit Puerto Rico as a state of the Union.
González and Soto stressed yesterday that the measure has bipartisan support in Congress. Among the federal lawmakers who were present were the congressman Don Young, A Republican from Alaska who for many years has supported the statehood for Puerto Rico, its co-religionist Maria Elvira Salazar, Florida, i Stephanie Murphy, Democratic Representative for that same state.
See the press conference here. At minute 43:14 the question arises about the state of Puerto Rico. While in the 49:35 minute the question on Supplementary Social Security: