Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Elise Stefanik today released the following statement on H.R. 8393:
“I am supportive of statehood for Puerto Rico, if that is what the people of Puerto Rico decide to pursue, and I have consistently supported legislation throughout my time in Congress that would achieve the goals of self-determined statehood, a principle which has been a long-held position of the Republican Party. However, I do not support today’s proposal that would allow independence. The United States should bring the over three million American citizens in Puerto Rico closer, rather than pushing them further away. This last minute bill was brought to the floor by Nancy Pelosi without a committee hearing on the text. A proposal as complicated and impactful as statehood requires a thorough review and debate.”
Stefanik is a cosponsor of the Puerto Rico Statehood Admission Act (H.R. 1522). She has supported a version of this bill that grants statehood since she first entered Congress in 2015.
