Congresswoman Jenniffer González Colón’s statement on SCOTUS decision to exclude Americans in Puerto Rico from the SSI program

Washington, D.C. - Congresswoman Jenniffer González, the sole representative for Puerto Rico in the U.S. Congress made the following statement following the U.S. Supreme Court's (SCOTUS) ruling that excludes Americans living in Puerto Rico from receiving the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) disability benefits.

"Following the precedent that allows discrimination against Americans living in Puerto Rico, the U.S. Supreme Court confirmed that the Territorial Clause allows Congress to exclude us from such an important social program to combat poverty as it is SSI.

SSI is one of the most important and effective federal programs for lifting the extremely poor out of that condition. I call on my colleagues in Congress to act quickly to correct this outrageous discrimination that keeps more than 300,000 of our most vulnerable citizens in extreme poverty. By passing into law my bill H.R.537, we can address this unfair treatment"

The Congresswoman has promoted the extension of SSI to Puerto Rico through legislative action; she introduced HR3226, HR947, HR537. She has also defended the extension of SSI to Puerto Rico in hearings before the House and the Senate and has advocated before the committees of jurisdiction, garnering important allies among her fellow legislators. She has sent numerous letters to the White House advocating for the extension of the SSI program to Puerto Rico and has called on President Biden to fulfill his campaign promises to Puerto Ricans. In the federal courts, she has appeared as an amicus curiae in all stages of the Vaello-Madero proceedings, including before the U.S. Supreme Court, to defend the rights of the most vulnerable sectors of society.

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