Since the end of the Spanish American War in 1898, Puerto Rico has been a territory of the U.S.–and just like any other territory owned by the U.S., Puerto Rico receives federal funding to support its economy, and its people are given U.S. citizenship. However, a pro-statehood party has recently been on the rise demanding the statehood of Puerto Rico. In the latest vote in November of 2020, over 52% of Puerto Rican voters voted yes for the idea of Puerto Rico becoming the United State’s 51st state; however, the U.S. Congress has yet to approve. This has been Puerto Rico’s seventh attempt to become a state since the 1960s, which raises the question: Why are Puerto Ricans so persistent on becoming a state and why has Congress been so against it?
At first glance, reasons for wanting to become a state of the U.S. seem obvious. At the moment, Puerto Rico has its own government, under the direct jurisdiction of the U.S.–however, it has very little representation, with only one representative in congress. If the U.S. were to grant statehood to Puerto Rico, Puerto Rico would gain more power in government with the addition of two senators and representatives. In addition, they would qualify for more U.S. federal programs that would greatly benefit the progression of their economy. In an interview on CBSN, Pedro Pierluisi, Governor of Puerto Rico, explained, “We want to have the same rights. We want to vote for president, have congressional representation — voting congressional representation — and equal treatment in all the federal programs. It's about time that happens."
Puerto Rico becoming a state could benefit the rest of the U.S. as well, since granting statehood means that the U.S. government would start collecting federal income and corporate taxes. According to a government report published in 2014, if Puerto Rico was a state in 2009, the U.S. could have received about 9 billion dollars just in income tax alone. Ideally, Puerto Rico becoming a state and gaining additional federal funding would allow it to prosper economically.
The statehood of Puerto Rico so far may sound reasonable, but the biggest obstruction keeping the U.S. from granting statehood is the state of Puerto Rico’s economy. Compared to the other 50 states of the U.S., Puerto Rico’s economy falls significantly behind in terms of unemployment rates and GDP per capita and also holds a significant amount of debt, totaling $129 billion owed to various countries. This makes adding Puerto Rico to the U.S. a great economic burden, resulting in the U.S. being hesitant to grant statehood for Puerto Rico.
At the moment, it seems that Puerto Rico is too risky to incorporate into the U.S. despite the potential benefits this could have. Further action from the U.S. Congress would ultimately depend on how the state of Puerto Rico’s economy changes.
The Student Movement is the official student newspaper of Andrews University. Opinions expressed in the Student Movement are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors, Andrews University or the Seventh-day Adventist church.