Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rosselló has endorsed Guam Del. Michael San Nicolas’ proposal to expand the Supplemental Security Income program to Guam.
In a May 21 letter to San Nicolas, Rosselló wrote, “I would like to express my full support for H.R. 208 to remedy the exclusionary language in existing statute that prevents U.S. citizens in Guam from receiving SSI.”
San Nicolas introduced H.R. 208, the Guam Supplemental Security Income Equality Act, on his first day in office as a member of the 116th U.S. Congress.
SSI is a benefit generally provided to people with disabilities. SSI pays up to $750 a month to help with daily living and service needs. Families can receive up to $1,125 a month.
The SSI law provides benefits to U.S. citizens who live "in the United States," which is defined in the law as being the 50 states, the District of Columbia and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.
Guam, Puerto Rico, American Samoa and the U.S. Virgin Islands are not included in the law, thus U.S. residents in these territories are not eligible for SSI benefits.
In order to keep the cost of inclusion in SSI at a minimum, San Nicolas’ bill would extend SSI coverage only to Guam.
But in a release announcing Rosselló’s endorsement, San Nicolas explained that his measure requires “political support particularly from Puerto Rico in order to move forward.”
“While Guam has a population of just over 160,000 people, (Puerto Rico) has a population of over 3 million.” Including Puerto Rico in his bill, San Nicolas said, would potentially balloon “SSI costs 20 times greater than Guam.”
Rosselló acknowledged the omission in his endorsement letter, writing that “while Puerto Rico also seeks to end unequal treatment under SSI,” that does not stand in the way of his “full support” for including Guam in the program.
Resident Commissioner Jennifer Gonzales-Colón, who is Puerto Rico’s representative to Congress, also has endorsed H.R. 208 and signed on as a co-sponsor.
In response, San Nicolas said he is “particularly grateful for their gracious support of our quest for SSI for Guam" and he “will continue to support our (Puerto Rican) brothers and sisters as well.”
The endorsements of Rosselló and Gonzales-Colón are “huge milestones on the path to getting SSI for Guam,” San Nicolas said.
“As the largest territory with many ethnic constituents in various congressional districts, Puerto Rico's endorsement of SSI for Guam is a tremendous boost,” San Nicolas wrote, because “they are effectively allowing us to move forward rather than holding us back.”
