The House has pushed Puerto Rico one step closer to possible statehood. What will the Senate do?

Puerto Rican flag flies on edge of building.
(Image credit: HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP via Getty Images)

The House on Thursday advanced what is known as the Puerto Rico Status Act, under which Puerto Rican voters would decide whether their territory should become a U.S. state, an independent country, or an independent country aligned with the U.S., The New York Times reports.

The bill, which would establish a process for Puerto Rico to hold a referendum on the matter, passed the lower chamber 233 to 191, with 217 Democrats and 16 Republicans voting in support.

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Brigid Kennedy

Brigid Kennedy worked at The Week from 2021 to 2023 as a staff writer, junior editor and then story editor, with an interest in U.S. politics, the economy and the music industry.