They sent a letter to the President to emphasize measures that must be implemented urgently, including new emergency allocations.
Tuesday, February 16, 2021 - 4:39 p.m.
By ELNUEVODIA.COM
Washington D.C. - U.S. and Puerto Rican religious leaders from different churches today urged the President to facilitate access to the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program for island residents and to implement measures to encourage manufacturing on Puerto Rican soil. Joe Biden to facilitate access to the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program for island residents and implement measures to encourage manufacturing on Puerto Rican soil.
The claim was made in a letter signed by the main leaders of the Catholic, Methodist, Lutheran, United of Christ, Disciples of Christ and Evangelical churches.
Stressing that nearly six out of 10 Puerto Rican children live below the poverty level, the religious leaders advocated for the island's full access to federal nutritional assistance programs, Medicare, Medicaid, and the Earned Income Tax Credits (EITC) and Child Dependent Tax Credits (CTC), noting that nearly six out of 10 Puerto Rican children live below the poverty level.
And they supported Congressional action to allocate new funds to help Puerto Rico recover from Hurricanes Irma and Maria, and the 2020 earthquakes. In the letter, they argue that conservative estimates indicate that Puerto Rico may require another $50 billion, on top of the $67 billion already pledged.
With respect to SSI, religious leaders, like island authorities, argue that the matter is on track only by withdrawing the certiorari filed by the government of Donald Trump before the U.S. Supreme Court to reverse the decision of the federal First Circuit Court of Appeals that opens the door for island residents to have access to that social welfare program.
Biden pledged during the campaign to reverse that public policy of the Trump administration.
"We look forward to working with you so that Puerto Rico can emerge with renewed resilience from our debt and child poverty crisis, the challenges left by ongoing natural disasters and the impacts of the pandemic," said in the letter, among others, the Catholic Archbishop of San Juan, Roberto González Nieves, the Catholic Bishop of Ponce, Rubén González Medina, and the bishops of the Evangelical Lutheran Church Idalia Negrón Caamaño and Felipe Lozada Montañez.
Also signing the letter are the general pastor of the Disciples of Christ Church, the Rev. Miguel Morales Castro; the general pastor of the Evangelical Unity Church of Puerto Rico, Edward Rivera Santiago; the general secretary of the Bible Society of Puerto Rico, the Rev; Bishop Emeritus of the Methodist Church of Puerto Rico, Reverend Rafael Moreno Rivas; former Pastor General of the Disciples of Christ Church in Puerto Rico, Reverend Esteban González Dobles; and the Executive Director of Caritas of Puerto Rico, Reverend Enrique Camacho.
In the United States, the claims on the island have the support of leaders such as the presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, Reverend Elizabeth Eaton; the president and general minister of the United Church of Christ, Reverend John Dorhauer; the president and general minister of the Disciples of Christ Church, Reverend Teresa Hord Owen; and the executive director of the Jubilee USA network, Eric LeCompte, among others.
"Debt and disasters plunged Puerto Rico into multiple crises, and then came the COVID-19. The White House and Congress can move forward on critical actions to address the crises facing Puerto Rico," LeCompte said in a statement, noting that the letter brings together religious leaders who have lobbied in Washington over the past several years on issues such as the fiscal and public debt crisis, and assistance for the island following recent natural disasters.