3.1.8: Puerto Rico
Other Information:
As President Obama said when he became the first President to visit Puerto Rico and address its people in 50 years, Boricuas
every day help write the American story. Puerto Ricans have been proud American citizens for almost 100 years. During that
time, the people of Puerto Rico have developed strong political, economic, social, and cultural ties to the United States.
The political status of Puerto Rico remains an issue of overwhelming importance, but lack of resolution about status has held
the island back. It is time for Puerto Rico to take the next step in the history of its status and its relationship to the
rest of the United States. The White House Task Force Report on Puerto Rico has taken important and historic steps regarding
status. We commit to moving resolution of the status issue forward with the goal of resolving it expeditiously. If local efforts
in Puerto Rico to resolve the status issue do not provide a clear result in the short term, the President should support,
and Congress should enact, self-executing legislation that specifies in advance for the people of Puerto Rico a set of clear
status options, such as those recommended in the White House Task Force Report on Puerto Rico, which the United States is
politically committed to fulfilling. The economic success of Puerto Rico is intimately linked to a swift resolution of the
status question, as well as consistent, focused efforts on improving the lives of the people of Puerto Rico. We have made
great progress for Puerto Rico over the past four years, including a sharp, historic increase in Medicaid funding for the
people of Puerto Rico and fair and equitable inclusion in the Recovery Act and the Affordable Care Act. Going forward, we
will continue working toward fair and equitable participation for Puerto Rico in federal programs. We support increased efforts
by the federal government to improve public safety in Puerto Rico and the United States Virgin Islands, with a particular
emphasis on efforts to combat drug trafficking and crime throughout our Caribbean border. In addition, consistent with the
task force report, we will continue to work on improving Puerto Rico's economic status by promoting job creation, education,
health care, clean energy, and economic development on the Island.
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