An article by George Laws Garcia in The Hill makes an important point: “Trump and Congress have the opportunity of a generation to leverage the pharmaceutical infrastructure and workforce in Puerto Rico to achieve their agenda while also turbocharging the economy on the island, and they have the perfect ally in Puerto Rico to do it with — the island’s Republican Gov. Jenniffer González-Colón.” Reshoring to Puerto Rico is truly the opportunity of a generation.
Puerto Rico is the ideal partner to reshore pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturing. There are already 49 FDA-approved manufacturing facilities on the Island. There is a large bilingual workforce with the knowledge to meet the exacting standards of medical manufacturing. Puerto Rico’s government has implemented incentives for pharmaceutical companies — and this time, they are based on the number of jobs provided, so they will offer real economic growth to the Island rather than flimsy tax shelters. Puerto Rico is poised to help the United States as a whole to strengthen the medical supply chain and thus defeat a serious threat to national security.
At the same time, a boost to the medical manufacturing industry in Puerto Rico will be a big boost to Puerto Rico’s economy. The Pharmaceutical Industry Association of Puerto Rico reports that their industry employs over 18,000 workers on the Island, and indirectly contributes to another 60,000 jobs. People working in the manufacturing jobs spend money in their communities, supporting all the other businesses in their neighborhoods. Economists calculate that each new manufacturing job brings 1.6 other new jobs to the community.
And this economic boost would help states as well, since Puerto Rico is an enthusiastic market for goods made in the states. With more available income, Puerto Rico demand for goods from the states would naturally increase.
All these good outcomes could be part of the legacy of the current administration.
Would statehood help?
As a territory, Puerto Rico is already a great opportunity for manufacturers seeking to bring their supply chain back to the United States. “As a territory, the island is part of the U.S. customs zone and is not subject to U.S. tariffs, and everything that is made in Puerto Rico is ‘Made in the USA,’ the article explains. “Yet, that same territory status has limited Puerto Rico’s economic development by creating persistent uncertainty, underinvestment and an unequal playing field for economic competition. The territory status is unpopular on the island, and Puerto Rican voters have voted in favor of statehood four consecutive times, most recently last November.”
As a state, Puerto Rico could expect to have better infrastructure for manufacturing, improved educational outcomes in the already highly educated workforce, and more comfortable living conditions to bring workers to the communities with factories.
Statehood for Puerto Rico, already popular in the states and on the Island, could also be part of the legacy of the current administration. It’s only a matter of time till Puerto Rico is admitted as a state. Which administration should get the credit? That is in the hands of Congress. Contact your legislators and let them know that you want to see Puerto Rico admitted as the 51st state.
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