REP. JENNIFFER GONZÁLEZ-COLÓN

Jenniffer González-Colón was elected on November 8th, 2016, as Puerto Rico’s sole Representative to the U.S. Congress, known as Resident Commissioner, and became the first woman to hold the office. Ms. González-Colón garnered the highest number of votes of any single elected official on the Island in both the 2016 and 2020 elections that she was a candidate for. 

A lifelong Republican advocate for Puerto Rico statehood, Ms. González-Colón began her political journey in a special election in 2002, becoming the youngest member ever elected to the Puerto Rico House of Representatives. She quickly ascended through the ranks, serving as Speaker of the House for four years and later as Minority Leader for an additional four years. 

Her priorities as Puerto Rico’s voice in Congress include spearheading the economic recovery of the Island, securing equal treatment for Puerto Rico’s 3.2 million American citizens in federal laws, regulations, services, and funding, and ensuring that Congress responds decisively to the overwhelming mandate of Puerto Rico’s voters for admission as the 51st state of the Union as reflected by clear majorities through locally-held plebiscites in 2012, 2017, and 2020. 

Congresswoman González-Colón is a member of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and the House Committee on Natural Resources. Previously, she served on the Committees on Veterans’ Affairs, Small Business, and Science, Space, and Technology. She currently serves as the Republican Co-Chair of the House Oceans Caucus, the Congressional Friends of Spain Caucus, Congressional Rum Caucus, Congressional HIV/AIDS Caucus, and Congressional Endometriosis Caucus. She is also a member of the Bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus, the Republican Main Street Caucus, and the House Bipartisan Task Force for Combating Antisemitism, among others. 

During the 116th Congress, she was elected by her colleagues to serve as Vice Chair of the bipartisan Congressional Caucus for Women’s Issues, and in the 117th Congress as Co-Chair. She has participated as a member of the US delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly. 

Puerto Rico suffered its worst natural disaster in 90 years after hurricanes Irma and Maria devastated the Island in 2017. Ms. González-Colón’s efforts to keep Puerto Rico’s recovery at the forefront of Congress’ attention, organizing visits of members of Congress and administration officials, building bipartisan alliances, have resulted in over $117 billion in appropriations after the disaster, as well as legislation allowing infrastructure to be rebuilt to improved standards, full federal share in funding for rebuilding, and an extension in the emergency agencies’ mandates. 

Her contributions have been acknowledged through various honors, including being named one of the 100 most influential Republican women by NewsMax and consistently ranking among the top 20 in the Bipartisan Index rankings compiled by the Lugar Center and Georgetown University. 

Furthermore, Ms. González-Colón has received numerous awards for her advocacy across diverse sectors; including the National Trailblazer Award from the League of United Latin American Citizens, the Hill Champion Award from the National Minority AIDS Council, the Pledge Award by the National Head Start Association, APEX Award for Mental Health advocacy from the American Psychiatric Association, the Puerto Rican Family Institute Public Service Award, the JFNA Health and Long-Term Care Award, the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Puerto Rico Chamber of Commerce, the Empowered Woman of the Year award from Mujer Emprende, American Maritime Champion Award from the American Maritime Partnership, and many others for her achievements in a variety of issues, including advocating for and securing funding for the healthcare sector. For her work in improving U.S.-Spain relations, she was decorated with the Order of Isabella the Catholic, Commander grade, by King Felipe VI of Spain. 

Additionally, she has garnered acclaim for her distinguished career as an elected official, earning recognition from organizations such as the Puerto Rico United Retailers Center, the Spanish Chamber of Commerce, and the Manufacturer’s Association. Notably, she was honored as an Elected Woman of Excellence by the National Foundation for Women Legislators, underscoring her contributions to public service. 

A product of the Puerto Rico public schools, holder of a Juris Doctor and Master of Laws degree (LL.M.), González-Colón served as Chair of the Puerto Rico Republican Party from 2015 to 2021, and First Vice Chair of the local pro-statehood party, Partido Nuevo Progresista.