What do you think about 51 stars on the American flag?
A governor from Puerto Rico is all for it.
Puerto Rico Gov. Pedro Pierluisi says in March he is expecting legislation to be introduced in Congress that would give statehood to Puerto Rico if passed.
Pierluisi was even quoted saying “what I anticipate is that there will be considerable support for a statehood bill in this Congress,”.
The three million U.S. citizens living in Puerto Rico can’t vote for president, have no senators, have one non-voting member in the House, and are treated unequally under federal law. A majority of Puerto Ricans voted for statehood. The federal government must respect that vote.
— Stephanie Murphy (@MurphyforFL) February 12, 2021
WATCH: Puerto Rico governor says Congress "morally obligated" to act on statehood vote https://t.co/s2yZJRv8vZ pic.twitter.com/xfTiLLtAfS
— The Hill (@thehill) February 15, 2021
Congress taking action on Puerto Rico statehood next month, governor says https://t.co/MgeSlknk4m pic.twitter.com/Y5mnpuV7oP
— New York Post (@nypost) February 15, 2021
The New York Post didn’t stay behind and reported these details:
Puerto Rico Gov. Pedro Pierluisi expects the US House of Representatives to introduce legislation on statehood by mid-March, saying he has spoken to members of Congress about their plans.
Pierluisi, who leads the pro-statehood New Progressive Party, revealed his expectations while speaking to “Axios on HBO” in an interview set to air Monday.
“What I anticipate is that there will be considerable support for a statehood bill in this Congress,” Pierluisi told the outlet.
“I believe you’ll see bills being introduced in the House at the latest by mid-March of this year, so within a month,” he added, citing conversations with Rep. Darren Soto (D-Fla.) and Delegate Jenniffer González-Colón (R-PR).
Governor of Puerto Rico @pedropierluisi discusses statehood for the U.S. territory.
Watch the full interview Sunday at 6PM on @HBOMax. #AxiosOnHBO pic.twitter.com/plw2lB0DIM
— HBO Documentaries (@HBODocs) February 12, 2021
The idea of granting Puerto Rico statehood seems to be gaining momentum. https://t.co/VhP1ViyqW5
— FOX 13 News Utah (@fox13) February 16, 2021
Fox 13 News covered the story too:
Momentum behind granting Puerto Rico statehood seems to be gaining momentum as the territory’s governor told Axios on Sunday that he expects Congress to take up the issue within the next month.
In November, Puerto Rico voters supported statehood in a non-binding ballot referendum.
The referendum narrowly passed by a 52-48 margin.
The question was not the first time voters weighed in on Puerto Rico statehood. Most recently, 97% of voters approved statehood in 2017, but the vote was boycotted by opposition parties.
While Puerto Ricans are full American citizens, those residing on the island cannot vote in presidential general elections. The island is not represented in the Senate and only has a non-voting resident commissioner who represents the island to Congress.
What do you think about Puerto Rico becoming a state?
Is it just another way for Democrats to conjure up more votes?
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