Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rosselló has just the solution for the decade-long recession and crippling debt crisis his island is facing: U.S. statehood, Politico reported on Friday. Trouble is, Rosselló has little support from Congress for his dream of making the territory the 51st state — and possibly even less from the Trump administration. That didn't stop the popular young leader, elected in January, from traveling to the U.S. Capitol last week to make his pitch as a plebiscite on the island's political status looms. His quest has drawn rebukes from critics and political rivals, including opposition parties that have vowed to boycott the June 11 vote. Puerto Rico is mired in recession and a $70 billion debt crisis — which already triggered the largest local government bankruptcy in U.S. history in early May — and desperately needs health care funds.
