CNE – Centro Para Una Nueva Economía – Center for a New Economy
Non-profit, economic research and policy development organization
H.R. 4406 helps Puerto Rico avoid a short-term Medicaid funding cliff and provides some stability by setting forth clear funding levels for the next five years. However, the proposed five-year deal falls short of parity with the states, is not a permanent fix, and perpetuates the “separate and unequal” treatment of Medicaid beneficiaries in the territories, who are being told, once again, to accept a “good enough” deal.
A glimpse into what some of our staff members are reading, watching, and listening to this summer.
En el Centro para una Nueva Economía, al igual que el resto de Puerto Rico, hemos quedado conmocionados y visto con gran consternación los hechos recientes de violencia de género que han provocado la muerte de hermanas puertorriqueñas.
Last week, the Office of the Inspector General of the HUD released a 45-page report which detailed the multiple instances when the political leadership in OMB, a critical control center within the Executive Office of the President, purposefully delayed processes to release disaster aid.
The FOMB for Puerto Rico certified a new fiscal plan for the central government on Friday, April 23. The new Fiscal Plan, just like the others, is based on four core elements: (1) budget consolidation (spending cuts and revenue increases); (2) structural reforms; (3) debt relief; and (4) federal funding for disaster relief and COVID-19 assistance.
The agreement between PREPA and LUMA Energy for the operation and management of Puerto Rico’s electric grid has been in the public spotlight recently. Many private sector organizations, as well as multiple NGOs, have pointed out the deficiencies of that agreement. Yet, canceling or terminating the agreement with LUMA will not solve Puerto Rico’s electricity problems.
In Washington D.C., the symbolic deadline for a new President to make a lasting imprint on the nation is exactly 100 days. After all, first impressions matter. As the Administration and the new Congress near their 100-day mark respectively Puerto Rico has, for better or worse, not been lost in the mix of national priorities.
Weeks before the first reported case of Covid-19 in Puerto Rico, it was evident that our public health system was unfit to address the looming crisis.
