Dear friend, 

I've spent my career fighting for self-determination for Puerto Rico, and I’m thrilled to announce that today we took a major step towards ending the ongoing colonial status of Puerto Rico once and for all. 

For 124 years, Puerto Rico has been a colony of the United States, and its people have been treated as second-class citizens. That's why in the spring, I reached across the aisle to find a permanent solution: and today it passed the House! 

The Puerto Rico Status Act will provide Puerto Ricans the chance to decide between independence, sovereignty in free association, and statehood, and the results will be binding. 

Puerto Ricans deserve to decide the Island's political status, and that’s what this measure will provide. It's a historic accomplishment, and I hope you'll take a moment to join me in celebrating.