President Joe Biden on Monday said his government will shield at the U.S. Supreme Court a legislation which excludes Puerto Rico by a national program that gives advantages to low-income elderly, blind and handicapped individuals, adhering to the exact same policy because his Republican philosopher Donald Trump.
Biden, a Democrat, said in a statement he opposes the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) supply in question but the Justice Department has a responsibility to safeguard it. The justices in March took up a U.S. government attraction initially registered by Trump’s government of a lower court ruling which found the exclusion criminal.
“This provision is inconsistent with my government’s policies and values.
Biden called on Congress to amend the law so Puerto Ricans wouldn’t longer be deducted.
The Boston-based 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled this past year in favour of a Puerto Rican resident called Jose Luis Vaello-Madero who’d formerly received SSI benefits when he lived in New York but dropped eligibility when he transferred to Puerto Rico at 2013.
The 1st Circuit determined that Puerto Rico’s exception from the program violated a provision of this U.S. Constitution that requires that legislation apply equally to everybody.
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The choice to not include Puerto Rico was created by Congress when it enacted the program in 1972. Puerto Ricans are qualified for a distinct program, known as Aid to the Aged, Blind and Disabled, which allows for more local control but much less federal funds, the Justice Department said in court documents.