Weekly Review – August 20, 2020

In case you missed it, we share Sergio Marxuach’s latest column “Institutional Stagnation”. This week we also take a look at the current crisis the U.S. Postal Service is confronting, as well as the Decennial Census and the threat to these government institutions.

Estancamiento institucional

En 1948 el ingreso neto per cápita en Puerto Rico era $256 por persona. La infraestructura de carreteras, electricidad y telecomunicaciones era rudimentaria, por no decir artesanal. Ese año pasaron muchas cosas en la isla. Y aunque usted no lo crea el 2 de noviembre de ese año se llevaron a cabo unas elecciones generales.

Weekly Review – August 13, 2020

This week we take a look at President Trump’s recent executive orders that seek to override the legislative impasse regarding the extension of pandemic relief aid. We also analyze the potential economic impact of the U.S. District Court for the District of Puerto Rico’s decision in Peña Martinez v. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services relating to the inclusion of residents of Puerto Rico in the SNAP, LIS, and SSI programs.

Summary of Peña Martinez v. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

In Peña Martinez v. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, nine plaintiffs, all residents of Puerto Rico, challenged on constitutional grounds their exclusion from the Supplemental Security Income program (“SSI”); the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (“SNAP”); and the Medicare Part D Low-Income Subsidy program (“LIS”).

Correcting Historically Discriminatory Policies Against Residents of U.S. Territories

For decades, Puerto Rico and the other U.S. territories have been deprived of access to federal programs specifically designed to provide a safety net, break persistent poverty cycles and jumpstart the economy. These limitations unfairly discriminate against the residents of U.S. territories and perpetuate long-standing inequities. Three recent court decisions suggest discriminatory policies against the residents of U.S. territories will no longer stand.

Weekly Review – July 23, 2020

This week we highlight the importance of Puerto Ricans being counted in the 2020 Census. We also revisit our #LivingWithRiskConversations and the role of the state in post-disaster responses, and stress the importance of restructuring PREPA’s debt.

El Censo 2020: la importancia de hacernos contar

A estas alturas del juego, no nos debe sorprender la enorme desconfianza que tenemos los puertorriqueños con el gobierno estatal y federal. Ambos nos han fallado en grande, y mucho de eso se manifiesta en nuestra bajísima tasa de participación en el Censo Decenal – un cuestionario del censo que, desde el 1910, realiza el gobierno federal en Puerto Rico cada diez años para medir nuestra población y otros importantes aspectos demográficos.