Released Sept. 19th, 2021
Lack of action on structural barriers to island’s growth and future remains disappointing
WASHINGTON, DC -- Power 4 Puerto Rico— a coalition of diaspora leaders and allies advocating for the island and displaced families— today announced the release of a detailed fact sheet (BELOW) contrasting the promises made by then-candidate Joe Biden one year ago to the Puerto Rican community. While progress has been made on some issues, structural barriers preventing the island’s sustainable reconstruction and progress have yet to be addressed.
“President Biden promised a better future for Puerto Ricans in the US and the Island, and his executive order on Medicaid, to the release of long delayed disaster relief dollars blocked by President Trump, is heartening,” said Erica González, Director of Power for Puerto Rico. “However, though some commitments have been kept, the reality is that much remains to be accomplished on the most consequential challenges the island faces, and on issues where the President said he would take action. Boricuas delivered Pennsylvania and other critical states after Biden promised to deliver for us. We will continue to hold him to his promises to curtail the undemocratic and austerity-imposing colonial board, to convene all sides to solve the Puerto Rico status question, and to provide equal treatment under health care and nutritional assistance.”
While the White House did reactivate the President’s Task Force on Puerto Rico, which the Power 4 Puerto Rico coalition had recommended and welcomed, administration officials acknowledged that the major yokes on Puerto Rico —colonialism and its imperial byproduct, the Fiscal Control Board— will not be a part of the Task Force’s agenda. The diaspora-based national coalition analyzed Biden’s Puerto Rico campaign promises and detailed the progress made, or not, on a range of issues. The conclusion reached by the advocacy organization is that while important and commendable steps have been taken in some areas, the primary obstacles to Puerto Rico making fundamental progress are being ignored by the administration and Congress.
Power 4 Puerto Rico was born out of the necessity not only to secure disaster relief and reestablish power to a hurricane-stricken island; the coalition is also working to ensure that Puerto Ricans chart their own future. President Biden made strong commitments to rebuild and provide equity to the island in federal programs. Working with partners across the country, P4PR pressed him to also provide incentives for job creation and green energy mandates for the electricity reconstruction process, and intends to keep him to his word.
“The Biden administration took executive action on Medicaid this past week. This welcomed news will keep the issue alive and force Congress to follow through on the President’s promise to achieve parity under federal health programs for the island,” said Federico A. de Jesús, Senior Advisor for the coalition. “Yet the longstanding roadblocks for Puerto Rico remain and will require presidential leadership to undo those barriers. The 9 million Puerto Ricans, in the Island and the diaspora, and our allies, will mobilize until we make this a reality.”
In 2019, Power 4 Puerto Rico launched the #ShowUsYourPRPolicy campaign and released a comprehensive policy blueprint with 60 partners to pressure presidential candidates to present concrete action plans around Puerto Rico. The policy blueprint included urging a permanent waiver for Puerto Rico from maritime restrictions imposed under the Jones Act, and extending the full Earned Income Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit, and other economic incentives to Puerto Rico. These were not included in the Biden-Harris Puerto Rico plan and some still require attention.
As part of #ShowUsYourPRPolicy, Power 4 Puerto Rico regularly reports back on the status of commitments made on the campaign trail.
