Trump Pressured to Make Puerto Rico Independent to Save America $617 Billion

Donald Trump is being lobbied to make Puerto Rico an independent nation and save American taxpayers $617.8 billion, DailyMail.com has reported.

At least two congressional offices are in possession of a seven-page draft 'executive order' on how the U.S. can help the island territory transition to independence.

One individual familiar with the document's origins said at least two members of Congress have a copy of the draft, which DailyMail.com has obtained and reviewed.

A source familiar with the document's existence disclosed that it is also in the possession of Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, Rep. Tom McClintock (R-Calif.) and potentially other Cabinet secretaries.

Staffers for the Senate Energy & Natural Resources Committee and a staffer for Rep. Tom Kean (R-N.J.) have already held or scheduled meetings about the draft executive order.

The committee has jurisdiction over issues relating to Puerto Rico and other U.S. territories. But committee officials did not reply to a request for comment.

The order appears to have been drawn up by a congressional office and leaders of Puerto Rico secessionist efforts, and not the White House.

But it is a clear effort to apply pressure on the White House to transition Puerto Rico out of its current status as a U.S. territory.

Trump has not indicated that he wants to rid the U.S. of the territory.

The White House declined to comment on the draft order and appears to be unaware of its origins.

According to the document, the effort seeks to establish the Caribbean island as a 'sovereign and independent' nation and in the process decouple its financial and security interests from those of the U.S.

Copies of the proposed executive action has been circulating in a few Capitol Hill offices.

One person familiar with the efforts said a field representative for Kean is aware of the document but did not reveal how the congressman or his staff might be involved.

The draft is made to look like an executive order and is written as though it were authored – or at least authorized – by Trump.

It includes a line for 'Donald J. Trump' to add his signature, and a March 2025 date with the day left as a blank.

Amid a myriad of Trump's shake-ups, including cutting thousands of jobs, billions in contracts and entire agencies, the draft seeks to cut the fat off the U.S. budget that's allocated to the island territory.

It also comes amid outrage over Trump seeking to establish English as the official language of the U.S. – raising questions on what that means for the mostly-Spanish-speaking island.

The order, if ever adopted, would establish a 21-month timeline for the end of birthright citizenship for Puerto Ricans.

Any person born in Puerto Rico after December 31, 2026 would not be eligible for birthright citizenship, but anyone who was made a U.S. citizen through their birth in Puerto Rico before that date would retain their U.S. citizenship.

'This plan results in $617.8 billion in savings for the U.S. while providing Puerto Rico with the necessary resources for economic self-sufficiency,' the draf proposal notes.

The draft notes how Washington is projected to spend $1.37 trillion over the next 50 years in supporting Puerto Rico – in addition to up to $8.6 billion in disaster relief.

Should Trump adopt the action proposed in the document, there would be a decades-long plan to give Puerto Rico $36 billion every year for 20 years in a so-called Puerto Rico Transition Fund. It would over the next two decades 'facilitate Puerto Rico's successful transition to independence.'

'This plan results in $617.8 billion in savings for the U.S. while providing Puerto Rico with the necessary resources for economic self-sufficiency,' the draft proposal notes.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem visited Puerto Rico last week during her first visit to the U.S. territory as part of Trump's Cabinet.

She pledged to help Puerto Rico as it struggles to rebuild from catastrophic hurricanes amid chronic power outages.

FEMA has been funding much of the reconstruction after Hurricane Maria hit the island as a Category 4 storm in September 2017. But Puerto Rico Gov. Jennifer González said the agency has not released $18 billion slated for the power grid.

The executive order proposal would establish the Executive Transition Commission (ETC), which would oversee Puerto Rico's change from territory to sovereign nation.

'The Executive Transition Commission will operate as part of the White House staff, in coordination with Congress on matters that require legislation,' it details.

'It will have an Administrator appointed by the President who will be responsible for the oversight, administrative and legislative functions of the Government of Puerto Rico in furtherance of the objectives of this Order. Additionally, the Administrator will use all the federal funds allocated for the orderly transition of the Island towards independence and socioeconomic self-sustainability.'

The line for the name of the person Trump would appoint as the ETC Administrator remains blank on the drafted file.

But the proposal does note: 'The Administrator shall be a Puerto Rican National domiciled in Puerto Rico and shall not be or have been a member of the Government of Puerto Rico.'

There is a growing rift on the island among those who want to secede from the U.S. and those Puerto Ricans who want to be a U.S. state in order to gain more rights. In nearly every recent election, statehood has been on the ballot in Puerto Rico.

While the secession movement has gained traction, it is still widely unpopular compared to the number of the population who want to be a state or even just remain a territory.

Of the votes on the non-binding voter preference measure in 2024, 58 percent say they want statehood while only 11 percent sought independence.

Trump would, however, make the decision for the people of the island with the stroke of a pen.

'Rather than perpetuating indefinite territorial dependence, this approach eliminates wasteful spending, establishes a clear exit strategy, and redirects federal resources toward national priorities and domestic programs,' the seven-page paper reads.

'This solution ensures Puerto Rico's successful transition to sovereignty while upholding an America First policy,' it notes.

The executive director of the Puerto Rico Federal Affairs Administration Gabriella Boffelli said in a statement that there is 'no evidence' that there is a plot to free Puerto Rico.

'There is no evidence to support these allegations. Any insinuation about a secret plan to force Puerto Rico's independence is completely false and only seeks to misinform and divert attention from the real problem: our status.'

Puerto Rico's Secretary General of the Puerto Rico Independence Party Juan Dalmau called the report an 'interesting development.'

He called for the 'de-colonization' of the state to be a 'democratic' process.

During Trump's rally at Madison Square Garden in October, comedian Tony Hinchcliffe made a joke calling Puerto Rico a 'floating island of garbage,' which liberals tried to use to mobilize Hispanic voters against the Republican candidate.