In a passionate and sometimes bitter debate, the House of Representatives last night voted by the narrowest of margins — 209 to 208 — to allow Puerto Rico to vote on the future status of the Caribbean island. The bill, sponsored by Alaska Republican Representative Don Young, calls for a vote later this year in which Puerto Ricans would choose between statehood, independence or continued commonwealth status.
Tape:
- Congressional representatives debate the Young Bill.
Related Link:
- 3/4/98 Pacifica Network News “Stateside Puerto Ricans”
- 3/3/98 Pacifica Network News “Puerto Rico Considers Statehood”
- Institute Puerto Rican Policy
Related Story
StoryDec 02, 2025“This Is a Union Town”: Zohran Mamdani & Bernie Sanders Join Striking Starbucks Workers’ PicketThe original content of this program is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. Please attribute legal copies of this work to democracynow.org. Some of the work(s) that this program incorporates, however, may be separately licensed. For further information or additional permissions, contact us.
Top
Media Options