The resident commissioner, Jenniffer González Colom, has detailed through a letter to the President of the United States, Joseph Biden, his most immediate priorities for the Island and in turn communicated to the new President his willingness to work bipartisanly for the benefit of Puerto Ricans.
“As the only representative of the 3.2 million Puerto Ricans living in Puerto Rico, I want to bring to your attention some of the issues that need to be addressed urgently,” the Resident Commissioner said today, Sunday. a written communication.
Include the island as part of efforts to bring the manufacture of medical equipment to American soil, make the transition from Puerto Rico to the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP), as well as the Applying for Child Tax Credit (CTC) on the island, seeking equality under the Medicaid program, and granting status to Puerto Ricans are some of the priorities detailed in the letter.
Aid for COVID-19
González Colom highlighted the ability of Puerto Rico, as its human capital, infrastructure and experience, to contribute to the rapid production of medical and pharmaceutical equipment to counter the pandemic by COVID and bring the manufacturing industry back to the United States. .
He advocated that, in the next financial aid projects for COVID, provisions be included to encourage manufacturing companies so that they can increase the production of such equipment, while encouraging the local economy.
In his inaugural address, President Biden asked Congress for approval of $ 350 trillion in additional assistance for state and local governments. In reference to this, the commissioner has advocated for the territories and Puerto Rico to remain included.
The letter expresses support for the portion of President Biden’s proposal to allocate $ 1 billion in additional funds for the Island, American Samoa and Northern Mariana Islands Nutrition Programs. These are the three territories that do not currently participate in SNAP.
He also expresses support for the plan delimited by the President to make the transition of the Island to the SNAP program, an initiative that the Commissioner has supported and presented legislation and will be promoting again in this Congress.
economic development
While Biden’s plan includes expanding the retail credit repayment and increasing it 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 give the island equal treatment to which the states and the District of Columbia apply and to apply this credit so that families of one or two dependent minors can benefit.
In this second four-year period, the commissioner presented HR 106, Contributive Credits for Dependent Children (CTC), a measure that would allow families with one or two dependent children to claim them on their tax return. The CTC in Puerto Rico would benefit 355,000 low-income families and 404,000 children.
Health
González Colom has also advocated for a permanent solution for financing the Medicad program in Puerto Rico and for eradicating the disparity in treatments and meeting the health needs of the island.
“By the end of this fiscal year, federal funding for the Medicaid program will be reverted to $ 350 million per year, for a program that costs $ 3 trillion a year.
In addition, the federal Medicaid service (FMAP) contribution will return 76 percent to the 55 percent applicable territory, which is well below the 83 percent FMAP in what Puerto Rico could benefit from if the formula used for the States and the District of Colombia is applied to it, ”the commissioner said in her letter.
statehood
González Colom culminated his letter indicating to the president that the discriminatory treatment that receives Puerto Rico under these federal programs must to the territorial status
“On the day of his election, the people of Puerto Rico reaffirmed their desire to achieve full equality under the American Nation as a state of the Union, with the rights and duties that this entails. His oath, members of our National Guard, those who do not have the right to vote for their Commander-in-Chief, defended the capital city. the island according to the mandate of the people “, the Commissioner concluded in her letter.