Political Quotes

“It is time to set our people free. After 124 years, it is past time for Americans in Puerto Rico to decide their own form of government. The Puerto Rico Status Act will finally allow Puerto Ricans to throw off their colonial bonds, finally end their territorial status and choose for themselves: statehood, independence, and sovereignty with free association. What a historic day today is in the U.S. House of Representatives. With the option of statehood, which is my preference, it is simple. Puerto Rico would become the 51st State in our Nation, with all the representation rights of our States. With independence, they would become an independent nation, a sovereign free to decide their own future. With sovereignty with free association, they would be an independent nation and would have the right to enter into a compact, a contract between the United States and Puerto Rico that would provide for citizenship for a limited time, foreign policy agreements, among other matters. The history of this bill this term is really important to discuss. We had two hearings that lasted a day each. We had bipartisan negotiations with the great leader on the Republican side, Jenniffer Gonzalez-Colon, the very voice of the island of Puerto Rico, along with my colleagues Nydia Velazquez, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, our great chairman here, and, of course, our leader. It is bipartisan.…”