On Friday, March 22, Kamala Harris will travel to Puerto Rico for the first time as Vice President. The former U.S. Senator’s trip is intended to highlight the Biden-Harris administration’s commitment to supporting Puerto Rico’s recovery” following the global COVID-19 pandemic and a series of natural disasters. Harris’ trip will include a visit to Canóvanas and commemorating the nation’s 151st anniversary of the abolition of slavery. With the country’s Democratic Primary on the horizon, Biden and Harris hope to leave a lasting impression on voters.
“Since President Biden and Vice President Harris took office, Puerto Rico has added more than 100,000 new jobs. This includes construction employment, which is up by close to 30 percent. Unemployment is now at a historic low of under six percent, and labor force participation is growing to the highest level in more than a decade,” a press statement from The White House reads.
The Vice President’s visit was welcomed by Democratic Party of Puerto Rico President Charlie Rodríguez, who called the trip “a reiteration of the policies established by the President since he stepped into the White House, of staying focused on Puerto Rico a during his term.”
The Vice President’s visit wasn’t welcomed by all. Jornada: Se Acabaron Las Promesas spokesperson Joseline Velásquez has expressed disdain for the administration’s handling of the ongoing conflict in Gaza and Israel. Velásquez doesn’t feel the Vice President’s trip is an effort to hear the issues of Puerto Ricans, rather she says it is simply an effort to “walk through the streets of Puerto Rico to raise funds for the electoral campaign.”
