Puerto Rico’s political future is never far from the minds of its citizens and in recent months, its political status has, once again, been the subject of debate. Puerto Rico (the “Island”) is a territory of the United States. The U.S. acquired the Island from Spain in 1898, and it has belonged to the United States ever since. In 1917, Puerto Ricans became U.S. citizens. Everyone born in Puerto Rico is a citizen of the United States, but Puerto Rico is not a state; it continues to be a territory.

Under the U.S. Constitution, Congress has “plenary” or complete power over Puerto Rico by the authority of the unpopular and congressionally created Federal Oversight and Management Board (FOMB). It is legal for Congress to discriminate against Puerto Ricans through federal social safety net programs like Medicare and Medicaid.

Island residents do not have the same rights and responsibilities as their fellow U.S. citizens. There are no senators or voting congressional representatives for Puerto Rico. The Island has just one non-voting representative in the U.S. Congress. The people of Puerto Rico cannot vote in presidential elections, nor do they have electors in the Electoral College.

Puerto Ricans serve in the U.S. military and yet they cannot vote for their commander in chief. Puerto Ricans fight for democracy around the world and yet do not experience democracy at home.

Puerto Rico is also not a country. While Puerto Rico fields successful sports teams in international sporting events, and competes in international beauty pageants, those teams and individuals could also be a part of U.S. delegations. The government of Puerto Rico simply doesn’t have the stature of a nation in the foreign arena, whether at the United Nations, the World Bank, or in bilateral discussions with sovereign nations.

And, while the title of Puerto Rico includes the word “commonwealth” (just like the titles of Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Kentucky), that word has no legal meaning in the United States. Puerto Rico is simply a territory belonging to the United States.

Puerto Ricans in New York live with the full panoply of democratic rights that are the hallmark of the United States and other countries. The Democratic National Committee (DNC) publicly endorsed statehood for Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia.

“When we get into power next time, we damn well better make sure that D.C. is a state and that Puerto Rico is a state,” said DNC chair Ken Martin in a conversation on the “At Our Table” podcast in September. Martin said he believes that Democrats will regain control of Congress after the midterm elections, and that statehood for Puerto Rico and D.C. are part of the fight to protect democracy in the United States.

“We play by the guard rules of democracy,” Martin said. “We play by the norms of society, and while that’s great, we’ve got to realize that the other side is not doing that,” he added, repeating a claim he made in his speech to the DNC summer meeting. “We can’t be the only party with one hand tied behind our back.”

Meanwhile, Power4PuertoRico, a NY-based, national coalition of the Puerto Rican diaspora that “advocates for the self-determination of Puerto Rico through a fair, inclusive, transparent and legally binding process,” feels betrayed, according to an Oct. 10 article published by El Nuevo Día [The New Day], the newspaper with the largest circulation in Puerto Rico, according to Wikipedia, and considered mainstream and the territory’s newspaper of record.

El Nuevo Día reported that in response to the DNC, Erica Gonzalez, director of Power4Puerto Rico, said, “We are deeply concerned by your recent public statements regarding Puerto Rico, where you asserted that it should become a state as a political strategy once the Democrats regain power.”

The outlet went on to report that she added, “This rhetoric stands in stark contrast to the commitment you personally shared with us in our September 18, 2025 conversation when you affirmed your support for the right of Puerto Ricans to self-determination, and for the decision regarding their status to be made by our people, not imposed on them.”

Meanwhile, according to Puerto Rico’s non-voting congressional delegate Pablo Jose Hernández (D-PR), back in August congressional representatives were rallying behind a bill to extend the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program to Puerto Rico. The SSI Equality Act, H.R. 4814 would award benefits to U.S. citizens living Puerto Rico and three other U.S. territories that do not currently qualify: Guam, American Samoa, and the United States Virgin Islands (USVI).

SSI is administered by the U.S. Social Security Administration but is not financed in the same way as the regular Social Security program. SSI payments are paid from a general fund supported by income taxes. People receiving SSI must show that they have very limited resources.

The regular Social Security is funded by taxes paid by workers and employers. The amount of Social Security payments is determined by an individual’s work history and the amount they have paid into the system. The bill has been referred to the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Ways and Means.

“The fact that we introduced this measure with a Republican colleague (James Moylan, R-Guam) proves that we will work across party lines to advance our goals,” said Hernández. Supporters reportedly do not expect the bill to progress through the House because of the U.S. government shutdown.

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