{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://hernandez.house.gov/media/press-releases/comisionado-residente-destaca-apertura-historica-del-departamento-del-interior", "Comisionado Residente destaca apertura hist\u00f3rica del Departamento del Interior a mejorar estatus de los territorios", "2025-06-12", "2025", "2025-06", "Democrat", "House", "PR", "Pablo Jos\u00e9 Hern\u00e1ndez", "H001103", "hernandez.house.gov", "hernandez", "https://hernandez.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 El Comisionado Residente de Puerto Rico, Pablo Jos\u00e9 Hern\u00e1ndez Rivera, realiz\u00f3 hoy una serie de preguntas al Secretario del Interior durante una vista presupuestaria, enfocada en las asignaciones para cuatro territorios estadounidenses y las rep\u00fablicas en libre asociaci\u00f3n.\n\nLas respuestas del Secretario constituyen, seg\u00fan el Comisionado, \u201cla primera afirmaci\u00f3n de voluntad en mucho tiempo para pactar con los territorios de manera democr\u00e1tica y ampliar su gobierno propio dentro de la uni\u00f3n con Estados Unidos.\u201d\n\nHern\u00e1ndez Rivera destac\u00f3 que el secretario del Interior \u201cest\u00e1 abierto a dialogar con los territorios para ampliar su autogobierno dentro de la uni\u00f3n con EE.UU., basado en el consentimiento mutuo\u201d. Adem\u00e1s, dijo Hern\u00e1ndez Rivera, \u201cel secretario reafirm\u00f3 que la libre asociaci\u00f3n es un estatus de independencia, pero indic\u00f3 que, a t\u00edtulo personal, no descarta la posibilidad de ciudadan\u00eda estadounidense para pa\u00edses independientes bajo tratados de libre asociaci\u00f3n.\u201d\n\nEl Comisionado abord\u00f3 estos temas en el contexto del presupuesto del Departamento del Interior, el cual asigna fondos a los pa\u00edses con tratados de libre asociaci\u00f3n y a los cuatro territorios a\u00fan bajo su jurisdicci\u00f3n. Record\u00f3 que Puerto Rico fue removido de dicha jurisdicci\u00f3n en julio de 1961 por orden del presidente John F. Kennedy, quien cit\u00f3 la \u201cposici\u00f3n \u00fanica del Estado Libre Asociado\u201d como raz\u00f3n para transferir los asuntos de la isla a la oficina ejecutiva del Presidente.\n\n\u201cEstas preguntas son pertinentes porque la vista trataba sobre el presupuesto del Departamento del Interior, que atiende los asuntos de libre asociaci\u00f3n y los territorios. Aunque mantengo mi posici\u00f3n de que el estatus no ser\u00e1 mi prioridad en el Congreso, no puedo pasar por alto que esto fija un buen precedente para conversaciones futuras sobre el Estado Libre Asociado\u201d, concluy\u00f3 Hern\u00e1ndez Rivera.\n\nOprima AQU\u00cd para ver las palabras del Comisionado Residente.\n\n###\n\nResident Commissioner Highlights Historic Openness from the Department of the Interior to Improve Territorial Status\n\nWASHINGTON \u2013 Puerto Rico Resident Commissioner Pablo Jos\u00e9 Hern\u00e1ndez today posed a series of questions to the Secretary of the Interior during a budget hearing focused on appropriations for four U.S. territories and the Freely Associated States.\n\nAccording to the Commissioner, the Secretary\u2019s responses represent \u201cthe first expression of willingness in a long time to enter into a democratic compact with the territories and expand their self-government within the union with the United States.\u201d\n\nHern\u00e1ndez emphasized that the Secretary of the Interior \u201cis open to dialogue with the territories to expand their self-government within the U.S. union, based on mutual consent.\u201d Additionally, Hern\u00e1ndez noted, \u201cthe Secretary reaffirmed that free association is a status of independence, but indicated\u2014speaking personally\u2014that he does not rule out the possibility of U.S. citizenship for independent countries under free association treaties.\u201d\n\nThe Commissioner raised these issues in the context of the Interior Department\u2019s budget, which allocates funds to the Freely Associated States and the four territories still under its jurisdiction. He recalled that Puerto Rico was removed from that jurisdiction in July 1961 by order of President John F. Kennedy, who cited the \u201cunique status of the Commonwealth\u201d as the reason for transferring the island\u2019s affairs to the Executive Office of the President.\n\n\u201cThese questions are relevant because the hearing addressed the Interior Department\u2019s budget, which oversees matters of free association and the territories. While I maintain that status will not be my priority in Congress, I cannot overlook the fact that this sets a positive precedent for future conversations about the Commonwealth,\u201d Hern\u00e1ndez concluded.\n\nClick HERE to watch the Resident Commissioner\u2019s remarks.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T01:08:28Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://hernandez.house.gov/media/press-releases/comisionado-residente-destaca-apertura-historica-del-departamento-del-interior"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.985817052423954, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}