Recently, the Puerto Rico Statehood Admission Act was introduced in Congress with the goal of honoring Puerto Rico’s recent vote in favor of statehood. This bill would finally give a real voice in Congress to the American citizens in Puerto Rico, and I hope Representative Russ Fulcher will follow in the footsteps of his predecessor Raul Labrador and support statehood for Puerto Rico.

Our founders rebelled against the crown in large part because of taxation without representation. Puerto Ricans currently pay many federal taxes, yet have no voting representation in the Senate, cannot vote for president and have one representative in the House - who cannot vote for or against bills on the House floor (including bills that increase taxes on the citizens in Puerto Rico). To fulfill the American principle of a government by the consent of the governed, and honor the recent free and fair election results on the island in favor of statehood, Congress must act.

Rep. Fulcher serves on the Natural Resources Committee, which has jurisdiction over Puerto Rico’s status and is in a great position to support the vision of our founders and the people of Puerto Rico by co-sponsoring the Puerto Rico Statehood Admission Act.

Junko Agena,

Meridian