NAPREC · Presidents. Congress. The historical record.
Voices for Puerto Rico statehood
Explore recorded endorsements, speeches, and interviews on Puerto Rico statehood, with links to their sources.
A growing, sourced collection—not an exhaustive historical inventory. Dates distinguish events from archive publication when known. Recordings retain their original audio; captions depend on the publisher.
21 entries
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Address to Congress
George H. W. Bush
U.S. president at the time
Expresses his personal support for statehood while calling for Puerto Ricans to decide their future.
Presidential archive · documentary context
Gerald Ford
U.S. president at the time
The Ford Presidential Library documents his announcement supporting statehood and the subsequent work on a proposal. This archival finding aid supplies dated context; it is not the previously listed undated video excerpt.
Official written statement
Ronald Reagan
U.S. president at the time
Reaffirms support for statehood if chosen by Puerto Ricans in a democratic vote, while recognizing their right to decide. Read the complete statement preserved by the Reagan Presidential Library. This is a text record, not a video.
Federal policy memorandum · text
George H. W. Bush
U.S. president at the time
Directs administrative treatment of Puerto Rico as a state within stated constitutional, statutory, fiscal and operational limits. It did not admit Puerto Rico as a state. This distinct document complements the February 9, 1989 recording above; it is not the undated endorsement clip previously listed.
Campaign remarks
Joe Biden
Former vice president and presidential candidate at the time
Calls statehood the most effective path to equal treatment, while affirming that Puerto Ricans must decide. The linked written source is the prepared campaign text preserved by the American Presidency Project; prepared text can differ from delivered remarks.
Legislation announcement
Martin Heinrich
U.S. senator
Announces a bill offering Puerto Rico a path to admission as a state.
Senate hearing
Martin Heinrich
U.S. senator
Urges Congress to respond to Puerto Rico’s statehood vote during a hearing on the territories.
Congressional remarks
Darren Soto
U.S. representative
Argues for the Puerto Rico Statehood Admission Act. The official release provides the remarks.
House floor excerpt
Don Young & Steny Hoyer
U.S. representatives at the time
Bipartisan floor remarks supporting Puerto Rico statehood. The recording’s exact date has not been established here.
House floor remarks
Steny Hoyer
U.S. representative
Reaffirms his support for statehood during debate on the Puerto Rico Status Act.
Yahoo Finance interview
Ritchie Torres
U.S. representative
Connects statehood with equal citizenship and voting representation. The archive supplies the interview clip.
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PBS interview · 4:36
Jenniffer González-Colón
Puerto Rico resident commissioner at the time
Discusses the statehood referendum and makes the case for equal representation.
Wallace Symposium address
Jamie Raskin
U.S. representative
Calls for Puerto Rico and Washington, D.C., statehood as part of expanding democratic participation.
Referendum message
Stephanie Murphy
U.S. representative at the time
Referendum message
Donna Shalala
U.S. representative at the time
Referendum message
Darren Soto
U.S. representative at the time
Referendum participation
Rob Bishop
U.S. representative at the time
Encourages referendum participation.
These entries concern a vote or a choice of status. They are not classified here as personal endorsements of statehood.
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Referendum participation
Marco Rubio
U.S. senator at the time
Encourages referendum participation.
These entries concern a vote or a choice of status. They are not classified here as personal endorsements of statehood.
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Status legislation press conference
Richard Blumenthal, Chris Murphy & colleagues
U.S. senators
Presents legislation for a choice among statehood, independence, and free association. Participation does not establish every speaker’s preferred option.
These entries concern a vote or a choice of status. They are not classified here as personal endorsements of statehood.
House floor speeches
Six members address Puerto Rico statehood
U.S. representatives
Floor remarks from Jenniffer González-Colón, María Elvira Salazar, Darren Soto, Susan Wild, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, and Val Demings. Hear each speaker in the original recording.
Official historical statement · text
Jamie Raskin
U.S. representative at the time
His congressional office documents support for statehood in connection with H.R. 1965. This is a separate, dated historical source. An original-host copy of the June 2025 video previously listed has not been confirmed; the 2019 document must not be cited as that recording.
House floor remarks
Jenniffer González-Colón
Puerto Rico resident commissioner at the time
Speaks in support of H.R. 8393, the Puerto Rico Status Act, on the day the House passed it 233–191.
Clip of the House floor remarks published by Forbes Breaking News.
Television interview
Mazie Hirono
U.S. senator
Argues that Puerto Rico and Washington, D.C., should be granted statehood if that is what their residents want.
Interview segment from The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
House floor remarks
Stephanie Murphy
U.S. representative at the time
Supports bipartisan legislation to begin Puerto Rico’s transition to statehood, citing the more than three million U.S. citizens on the island.
Published on the congresswoman’s official channel.
Press conference
Don Young, Darren Soto & Ricardo Rosselló
U.S. representatives and Puerto Rico governor at the time
Washington, D.C., press conference on Puerto Rico statehood four days after the June 11, 2017 status vote.
Live-stream recording published by Latino Rebels.
Television interview
Ricardo Rosselló
Governor of Puerto Rico at the time
Discusses the push for statehood ahead of the June 11, 2017 status vote, along with debt negotiations and the federal oversight board.
Interview published by CNBC.
House floor remarks
Pedro Pierluisi
Puerto Rico resident commissioner at the time
Announces the bipartisan Puerto Rico Statehood Admission Process Act, which proposed a vote in Puerto Rico on admission as a state.
C-SPAN footage uploaded by a third-party channel.
About this collection
Entries are labeled by what the cited material supports. A status referendum and an endorsement of statehood are different claims. Historic statements reflect the speaker’s position at that time. Presidential documents, Biden’s prepared remarks, the 2022 House record and the Raskin historical source were reviewed October 10, 2026. Written records are identified separately from playable video. Other entries retain their prior source review of September 26, 2026.
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