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Rosselló Says Legislation Over Fiscal Crisis Must Tackle Political Status

By on March 24, 2016

SAN JUAN — New Progressive Party (NPP) gubernatorial candidate Ricardo Rosselló said Thursday that any legislation from Congress aimed at tackling Puerto Rico’s fiscal crisis must be framed within a transition to statehood for the commonwealth.

“The Puerto Rico people clearly opposed the commonwealth status, and favored statehood. The political status issue is essential and can’t be put aside,” Rosselló stated in reference to the referendum held on the island in 2012, where roughly 54% of voters said they didn’t favor the commonwealth’s political status quo.

For Rosselló, who has been lobbying in Washington, D.C., during the past few days, any agreement with Congress over debt-restructuring tools or federal fiscal oversight on the island must be tied to a solution to Puerto Rico’s political status, based on the results of the 2012 referendum.

“[NPP resident commissionership hopeful] Jenniffer González and I have a clear commitment with statehood. Thus, under my administration we would file an admission certificate and implement the Tennessee Plan to make sure the people’s will is met,” Rosselló stated.

As for Puerto Rico’s debt crisis, the NPP gubernatorial candidate is proposing the creation of a joint commission to manage the commonwealth’s debt, an initiative he has been pitching to members of Congress as a way to address the island’s fiscal woes. Such entity would “reestablish Puerto Rico’s credibility, and allow us to access financial markets,” he says.

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