Political Quotes

“In November 2012, Puerto Rico held a referendum on its political status. The results demonstrated that a clear majority of the U.S. citizens of Puerto Rico want to end the island's current territory status, that a supermajority prefers statehood among the possible alternatives, and that--for the first time in history--more voters favor statehood than the current status. As I have remarked before, not a single one of my stateside colleagues in Congress would accept territory status for their own constituents. So they must recognize and respect that the American citizens of Puerto Rico no longer accept it either. I also trust that my colleagues who represent States will credit my constituents for aspiring to have the same rights and responsibilities as their constituents. Last week, the President took an important step. As part of the proposed budget the administration submitted to Congress, the Justice Department is seeking $2.5 million to conduct the first Federally sponsored vote on Puerto Rico's political status in the 115 years that the territory has been under the U.S. flag.…”