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U.S. NEWS Friday 22 april 2022
Court upholds Puerto Ricans’ exclusion from benefits program

By MARK SHERMAN count in New York even
Associated Press after he moved back to
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Puerto Rico. When he noti-
Supreme Court has upheld fied the Social Security Ad-
the differential treatment ministration, the payments
of residents of Puerto Rico, stopped and then the
ruling that Congress was government sued to re-
within its power to exclude cover more than $28,000
them from a benefits pro- it said he was not entitled
gram that’s available in all to. Lower courts sided with
50 states and the District of Vaello-Madero, ruling that
Columbia. the exclusion of Puerto Rico
The court held by an 8-1 from the SSI program is un-
vote Thursday that mak- constitutional. In a similar
ing Puerto Ricans ineligible case in Guam, a federal
for the Supplemental Se- judge ruled recently that
curity Income program, residents of that Pacific is-
which provides benefits to land also should be able to
older, disabled and blind collect SSI.
Americans, did not uncon- The Justice Department first
stitutionally discriminate filed its appeal of a ruling
against them. Justice Sonia by the 1st U.S. Circuit Court
Sotomayor, whose parents of Appeals during the
were born in Puerto Rico, An American flag blows in the wind in front of the Supreme Court building on Capitol Hill in Trump administration but
was the lone dissenter. Washington, Nov. 2, 2020. Associated Press maintained the case even
Writing for the court, Jus- after President Joe Biden
tice Brett Kavanaugh said Kavanaugh wrote that “just I respectfully dissent.” other federal programs. took office.
the court was bound by a as not every federal tax ex- The decision outraged Meanwhile, Jenniffer The Biden administration
pair of earlier rulings that tends to residents of Puerto many in Puerto Rico includ- González, Puerto Rico’s has said it supports chang-
already upheld the federal Rico, so too not every fed- ing Gov. Pedro Pierluisi, representative in Congress ing the law to extend SSI
law that created SSI and eral benefits program ex- who said statehood is the and a member of Pier- payments to Puerto Rico.
excluded Puerto Rico and tends to residents of Puerto only solution to Puerto Ri- luisi’s pro-statehood party, It included a provision in
other U.S. territories from it. Rico.” In dissent, Sotomayor co’s second-class status. called the exclusion an its Build Back Better pro-
Congress later added in responded, “In my view, “The decision ... once “unbelievable discrimina- posal to make residents of
the Mariana Islands. there is no rational basis for again confirms that the ter- tion” that keeps more than U.S. territories eligible for SSI
Puerto Rico has been a U.S. Congress to treat needy cit- ritorial status of Puerto Rico 300,000 people in extreme payments, but the legisla-
territory since the Spanish izens living anywhere in the is discriminatory for the is- poverty. tion is stalled in Congress.
American War in 1898, and United States so differently land’s U.S. citizens and al- Jose Luis Vaello-Madero, A separate program, Aid
its residents are U.S. citizens. from others. To hold other- lows Congress to do what it the Puerto Rico resident to the Aged, Blind and
They can vote in primaries, wise, as the Court does, is wants with us,” he said in a at the center of the case, Disabled, covers residents
but not the presidential irrational and antithetical statement. began receiving SSI pay- of the territories, but it has
election, and have limited to the very nature of the Pierluisi noted that Puerto ments after he suffered a more stringent eligibility re-
representation in Congress. SSI program and the equal Rico also receives unequal series of strokes while living quirements and pays less
Many also do not pay fed- protection of citizens guar- treatment when it comes to in New York. The payments generous benefits than
eral income tax. anteed by the Constitution. Medicaid, Medicare and continued to his bank ac- SSI.q

Arizona House speaker gets Profile in

Courage award

saw President Joe Biden elected to serve them.” American honorees are
narrowly defeat Trump in The award created by Ken- Republican Wyoming U.S.
Arizona. Trump and Giuliani nedy’s family in 1989 is de- Rep. Liz Cheney, Demo-
urged Bowers in a phone signed “to recognize and cratic Michigan Secretary
call to retroactively change celebrate the quality of po- of State Jocelyn Benson
Arizona law to allow the litical courage that he ad- and Fulton County, Geor-
Legislature to chose a dif- mired most,” and is given gia, elections depart-
ferent slate of presidential each year to one or more ment employee Wandrea
In this May 8, 2019, photo Arizona House Speaker Rusty Bowers, electors than those picked political figures. “Shaye” Moss.
R-Mesa, speaks at the Arizona Capitol in Phoenix. by the voters. This year’s award honors All but Zelenskyy were hon-
Associated Press
“I am very grateful for this those who showed “cour- ored for standing up to
By BOB CHRISTIE ing the 2020 election results honor yet cannot help age to protect and defend pressure from Trump and
Associated Press despite massive pressure but feel undeserving of it,” democracy in the United his supporters who alleged
PHOENIX (AP) — Arizona’s from former President Don- Bowers said in a statement. States and abroad.” without evidence that he
Republican House speaker ald Trump and his support- “Honoring my oath and Ukrainian President Volody- lost to Democratic Presi-
on Thursday was named ers. Speaker Rusty Bowers the people’s choices at myr Zelenskyy will be honore dent Joe Biden because of
one of five recipients of the rebuffed repeated direct the ballot box are not he- d for his effort to rally his na- election fraud. Benson and
John F. Kennedy Profile in efforts by Trump, his attor- roic acts — they are the tion and the world against Moss were targets of vi-
Courage award for his re- ney Rudy Giuliani and oth- least that Arizonans should the Russian invasion. cious attacks for their work
fusal to consider overturn- ers to overturn results that expect from the people Besides Bowers, the other on the election.q