PRESS RELEASES

December 21, 2022

WASHINGTON — On Tuesday, December 20, Congress released a sweeping $1.7 trillion 2023 Appropriation bill. In response, Hispanic Federation’s President and CEO Frankie Miranda issued the following statement:

“A deal to fund government services for millions of Americans was critical before heading into the new year. A status quo funding bill would have been devastating to the American people, including Latino communities. We applaud Congress for heading off Puerto Rico’s healthcare crisis by allocating $3.65 billion in annual Medicaid funding for five years, including a critical increase in the Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP). With Puerto Rico’s high poverty rate, repeated natural disasters, and ongoing mental health needs, allowing a massive reduction in healthcare funding would have had devastating consequences, forcing the island to impose severe, harmful cuts to its Medicaid programs on one million low-income Puerto Ricans.

December 21, 2022

WASHINGTON — El martes 20 de diciembre, el Congreso de los Estados Unidos publicó un proyecto de ley de Apropiaciones de $1.7 trillones de dólares. El Presidente y CEO de Hispanic Federation Frankie Miranda emitió las siguientes declaraciones en respuesta:

“Era sumamente importante que antes de que se terminara el año, el gobierno llegara a un acuerdo para financiar los servicios que el gobierno les ofrece a millones de personas en los Estados Unidos. Un proyecto de ley que mantuviera el status quo habría sido desastroso para el pueblo americano, incluyendo las comunidades Latinas.

September 20, 2022

WASHINGTON — Exactly five years after Hurricane Maria caused catastrophic damages to Puerto Rico, and as the island is facing another severe weather emergency from Hurricane Fiona, Hispanic Federation continued the Take Action For Puerto Rico! campaign in a press conference today near the U.S. Capitol.

November 9, 2021

WASHINGTON — As the U.S. Supreme Court prepared to hear arguments on U.S. v. Vaello-Madero case today, a case that could decide whether Puerto Ricans living in Puerto Rico can receive the same benefits as other U.S. citizens, Hispanic Federation and its allies stood on the steps of the nation’s highest court to demand the federal government stop discriminating against U.S. citizens based on where they live, as part of the #TakeAction4PuertoRico campaign. Watch the full press conference here.

November 4, 2021

WASHINGTON — The week before the U.S. Supreme Court hears arguments on U.S. v. Vaello-Madero case, Hispanic Federation and 60 allies sent a letter unified in their request to President Biden asking the Administration to immediately stop defending Congress’s ability to discriminate against U.S. citizens living in Puerto Rico by denying equal access to federal safety-net programs like Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and the Medicare Part D Low-Income Subsidy (LIS).

September 20, 2021


WASHINGTON — Today, four years after the devastating Hurricane Maria, which resulted in catastrophic damage to Puerto Rico, Hispanic Federation launched the Take Action for Puerto Rico! campaign in a press conference near the U.S. Capitol steps. The campaign calls on Congress to insist on federal investments that rebuild a resilient and self-sufficient Puerto Rico and treat the territory equitably in the dispersal of federal benefit programs, especially those intended to support the most vulnerable (SSI, Medicaid, SNAP). 

September 8, 2021

NEW YORK — Yesterday, LatinoJustice PRLDEF (“LatinoJustice”) and Kasowitz Benson Torres (“Kasowitz”) submitted an amicus “friend of the court” brief to the United States Supreme Court in the Puerto Rico equal protection case, United States v. Vaello-Madero., which specifically focuses on Puerto Rico. The brief requests that the U.S. Supreme Court overrules the Insular Cases, which essentially held that Puerto Ricans were “unfit” to handle the full rights and duties of citizenship, on the grounds that these cases have no place in modern American jurisprudence. It also asks the court to affirm under a strict scrutiny review the lower court’s holding that the Social Security Act’s (SSA) classification of Puerto Rico as being “outside the United States” for purposes of disability benefits violates the equal protection rights of Puerto Ricans under the Fifth Amendment.

September 3, 2021

WASHINGTON – Hispanic Federation, the Coalition for Food Security Puerto Rico, and several ally organizations urge Congress to end discrimination against Puerto Rico and the territories when providing federal nutrition assistance for low-income families. In letters sent to the House of Representatives and the Senate Thursday, advocates requested Congress to take action to provide equitable funding for the 1.6 million Americans in Puerto Rico experiencing food insecurity.

July 15, 2021

WASHINGTON - Hispanic Federation applauds the new bipartisan agreement to extend increased federal funding and Federal Medical Assistance Percentages (FMAP) levels for another five years for Puerto Rico and eight years for other U.S. territories. The agreement, announced last week by Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) and Republican Leader Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), is scheduled to be introduced by Reps. Darren Soto (D-FL) and Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) for markup in the Health Subcommittee today, Thursday, July 15.