Previous Story
Equally American urges Biden to push for equality for citizens in territories
Equally American, a nonprofit organization that advocates for equal rights and representation for residents of U.S. territories, called on the Biden-Harris administration yesterday to fight for broader representation and equality for all citizens, wherever they live.
“The four million citizens who live in U.S. territories—98% of whom are racial or ethnic minorities—are denied the right to vote for President and voting representation in Congress, making it more difficult to get the attention of elected officials in Washington,” said Equally American president and founder Neil Weare.
“Without the political influence that comes with full enjoyment of the right to vote, citizens in the territories are discriminated against in a broad range of federal programs, which can have life and death consequences,” Weare said. “President-elect Biden made it a campaign promise to help bring an end to this discrimination, and we look forward to working with his administration to make that promise real.”
In a Jan. 11, 2011 letter, Equally American asked the Biden-Harris administration to prioritize executive action and legislation to ensure equal rights and representation for residents of the territories. This includes enabling U.S. citizens in the territories to vote for President, Vice President, and voting representation in Congress; renouncing the Insular Cases and their legacy of racial injustice; including Puerto Rico, Guam, the Virgin Islands, and American Samoa in the Supplemental Security Income program; eliminating Medicaid’s general funding limitation for the territories and ending discrimination in other federal benefits programs such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and the Earned Income Tax Credit; and ensuring residents of Puerto Rico and other territories have the resources and technical assistance they need to recover from natural disasters. (PR)
