Representative Steny H. Hoyer, Democrat of Maryland and Majority Leader, and Representative Raúl Grijalva of Arizona, the chairman of the Natural Resources Committee, helped broker the agreement between Puerto Rican officials, legislators who support statehood for the island, and lawmakers who have argued that the United States should support a self-determination process for the island.
“This bill that’s on the floor today was far from certain,” Grijalva said Thursday, noting that amendments were still being negotiated about 24 hours before the vote. He added, “I am proud to be discussing a piece of legislation today, one that will help the people of Puerto Rico be directly involved in determining their political future.”
Representative Nydia M. Velázquez, a New York Democrat and the first Puerto Rican woman elected to the House, stated that “the voices of boricuas are now finally being heard” while listing Puerto Rican women serving in the U.S. government had risen and society and continued to defend the island.
“It is an embarrassment to the United States — the United States that passes itself off as a leader of the free world, standing up to the imperialist tyrants abroad, while maintaining colonies in the Caribbean and the Pacific,” she said. . “Congress has a moral obligation to provide the necessary tools for the transition to a new, post-colonial order.”
But Power 4 Puerto Rico, a coalition of diaspora organizations, urged lawmakers to vote no, calling the bill a statement “a Trojan horse” that “offers only a fraction of the information masquerading as decolonization.” and violates the right of Puerto Ricans to full transparency and due process.”
Several Republicans also opposed the measure, with some lawmakers criticizing the Democratic majority for excluding them from the final days of negotiations and arguing that there were unresolved questions about the United States’ role in helping the transition of the island to the outcome chosen by the voters.
“Just as we would expect the people of Puerto Rico to deliberate on its questions, understand the implications and accept responsibility for the choice, so should Congress,” said Arkansas Representative Bruce Westerman, the top Republican in the state. the Natural Resources Committee. He complained of a “rushed and secretive process” that deprived lawmakers of the opportunity to weigh in on the bill.