Amy

Klobuchar

Democrat

• Supports self-determination.

Michael

Bloomberg

Democrat

Bloomberg published a plan for Puerto Rico on his campaign website outlining that he would:

• Provide the same safety net funding to PR as any other US state, including fair funding for Medicaid, the Earned Income Tax Credit, and Child Tax Credit, in addition to full Social Security benefits.
• Speed up the creation of a decentralized and efficient power system prioritizing distributed renewable energy like solar and wind, microgrids, and energy storage.
• Provide for an independent audit, overseen by a representative board, of current debt and recent restructuring proposals, and implements a plan for debt relief based on the results. Bloomberg states that he would appoint members of the oversight board who will put party politics aside and prioritize the interests of the Puerto Rican people.
• Expedite the release of reconstruction funds, waive requirements for local match if it slows reconstruction down, and help Puerto Rico secure more federal funds to rebuild housing, infrastructure and the electric grid.
• Support Puerto Rican efforts to update PREPA, including by revisiting debt relief and strengthening the independence of the regulator.

In an op-ed published in the Orlando Sentinel, Michael Bloomberg called for Puerto Rico to become a state.

Cory

Booker

No longer running

• “I would support the determination of the Puerto Rican people. I want to support what they want. I believe in self determination…if they want to be an independent country, which they’re not getting now. I don’t think that’s the case and I would be one of those people that would make the case against it but again I believe in self-determination.” 

Pete

Buttigieg

Democrat

• “Puerto Rico should have immediate representation in the Electoral College, and if the people of Puerto Rico want statehood, that should be welcomed by the United States. We saw the direct consequences of Puerto Rico’s disenfranchisement with the Trump Administration’s disastrous denial of aid after Hurricane Maria — every citizen should have a voice.”
  

• Pledged to equitably fund Medicaid for the island.

Bernie

Sanders

Democrat

        Note: The Bernie Sanders campaign recently updated its page on Puerto Rico to          include more issue areas and details. Página en español.

• Ensure schools in rural communities, indigenous communities, Puerto Rico and other U.S. Territories receive equitable funding.
•  “Perform a full review of the post-disaster response to the communications crisis in Puerto Rico and ensure broadband and telecommunications services are swiftly restored.”
• “I believe we need a Marshall Plan to rebuild Puerto Rico.”Resilient Communities
• We will amend the Stafford Act to ensure that the Federal Emergency Management Agency is empowered to address this problem specifically to ensure that recovery and rebuilding efforts make affected communities stronger than they were before the disaster so they are more resilient to the next disaster.
• Supports self-determination. “Have that debate in the Island and as president, we will honor what the people want.”
• “We will also expand the SNAP program and benefits to the people of Puerto Rico, the Northern Mariana Islands, and American Samoa so they are on par with the benefits in the continental United States.”

  “When we are in the White House, we will

  • Finally, repair the damage from Hurricanes Irma and Maria and rebuild Puerto Rico. It is unconscionable that in the wealthiest nation in the world we have allowed our fellow citizens to suffer for so long. The full resources of the United States must be brought to bear on this crisis, for as long as necessary.
  • Restore self-rule in Puerto Rico by ending the reign of greedy Wall Street vulture funds that have a stranglehold on Puerto Rico’s future, return control of the island to the people of Puerto Rico, and give the territory the debt relief it so desperately needs to rebuild with dignity.
  • Ensure a strong social safety net for the people of Puerto Rico by ensuring access to health care, nutrition assistance, veterans benefits, and quality public schools.”

Joe

Biden

Democrat

In a column in the Orlando Sentinel, Biden stated the following:

• “As president, I will create a federal working group for Puerto Rico to make sure the island has all the federal resources and technical support it needs. To ensure that supporting Puerto Rico is an Administration-wide priority, the working group will consist of advisers designated by each federal agency and led by a point person who will report directly to me.
• I will expand programs that support island entrepreneurs and small businesses, like the State Small Business Credit Initiative, which has drawn tens of millions of dollars in new investment on the island, and programs that will further ignite economic growth like the New Markets Tax Credit program.
• That also means boosting the minimum wage to $15 an hour, fighting for unions and workers’ rights, and preserving pensions and public services on the island. It means protecting Obamacare and building on it to deliver quality, affordable health care, adding a public option, and expanding access to Medicaid, including appropriate funding for Puerto Rico. It means tripling funding for Title I schools, whether on the mainland or on the island, to close the gap between rich and poor districts…”

Elizabeth

Warren

Democrat

• “I am re-introducing the U.S. Territorial Relief Act, legislation that would provide Puerto Rico with a path to comprehensive debt relief.”“My bill would also set up a fund so that certain holders of Puerto Rican bonds would be compensated when those bonds are terminated.”

  “My bill would require an independent audit of Puerto Rico’s debt.”

• “At Warren’s January event on the island, Sierra Zorita planned to ask if the senator would be willing to commit to a standalone office for Puerto Rican affairs in the executive branch, a move to ensure that the island would no longer be treated like a political football. A campaign spokesperson for Warren told ThinkProgress that the senator would be open to re-examining the current structure and determining whether it needs to be changed.”
• Warrens also talks about taking action on 
  –18 SuperFund sites in Puerto Rico (within her overall climate agenda)
  –pre-climate mitigation and climate gentrification
  –extending SSI benefits and Medicare for All to Puerto Ricans

Andrew

Yang

Democrat

• “As President, I will…Take all steps necessary to promote Puerto Rican statehood as an overdue step toward equality if this is what Puerto Ricans want.”

• We should forgive their debt and rebuild the island, and allow for self-determination and statehood.    

Julián

Castro

No longer running

• “On whether Puerto Rico should be granted statehood — a perennial debate on the island — Castro praised the “self-determination” of Puerto Ricans and insisted the decision should be up to them.”

• “Ensure Americans in Puerto Rico, U.S. territories, and indigenous communities are not left behind. Invest in school infrastructure, residency programs, and teacher compensation to include the entirety of the United States.”

• He will “work with Congress and the people of Puerto Rico in favor of a binding referendum so that the people can have a definitive vote that Washington will act upon”, clarifying he prefers statehood but believes in self-determination.
• He also said that under any relationship with the US, “it is my hope that we can work so that Puerto Rico can maintain its own cultural, linguistic and historical identity.”
• Castro supports job creation, investment in infrastructure and giving flexibility to Puerto Rico’s municipalities in the use of HUD’s CDBG-DR disaster relief funds.”
• He would come up with a plan to cancel some of the island’s debt. 

Tom

Steyer

Democrat

• On Feb. 20th, Tom Steyer announced that he fully supported Power 4 Puerto Rico’s policy blueprint:
  “Tom fully endorses the Power4PuertoRico proposal and is committed to helping Puerto Rico fully rebuild and recover from the damage, to restore its economy, address its debt crisis, and eliminate poverty. Tom also supports an exception to the Jones Act, and studying ways that tax incentives can spur job creation with improved labor standards, as well as an expansion to both the Earned Income Tax Credit and the Child Tax Credit to Puerto Ricans. Tom supports the right to self-determination of the Puerto Rican people, a status solution that comes from Puerto Ricans directly, and will vigorously advocate before Congress for that decision to be respected.”

Tulsi

Gabbard

Democrat

• “I’ve had a position in support of the Jones Act — I want to learn specifically more about what’s going in Puerto Rico”

• Supports self-determination.