Bread for Today, Colonial Hunger for Tomorrow? MAGA's Silent Threat to Puerto Rico

 Deciphering how the MAGA movement's rhetoric and proposals consolidate colonial status by advancing policies that deepen subordination and erode local self-governance.

 

"The spectacle in Washington is loud: government shutdowns, presidential bravado, 'invasion' rhetoric. But the real threat to the subsistence of thousands of Puerto Ricans is not in the daily headlines; it lies in the budgetary memos and executive orders signed or proposed under the shadow of the 'America First' and MAGA agenda."

We are talking about the restriction, cutting, or, worse, the elimination of vital funding for federal assistance programs. In Puerto Rico, this has a specific and chilling name: the PAN (Programa de Asistencia Nutricional/Nutrition Assistance Program) and housing subsidies like Section 8.

 To many in Washington’s political circles, from mainstream Democrats to the far-right Republicans, Puerto Rico is just a financial afterthought. Federal programs here often get less support or face unfair limits. The Trump administration’s proposals made this clear: audit, restrict, or cut the social safety net. These are not just budget cuts—they are harsh policies that deeply harm the island’s most vulnerable people.

If these cuts happen, based on the idea that recipients are 'parasites' who need to be controlled, tens of thousands of Puerto Rican families and seniors will face even worse poverty, hunger, and the real risk of losing their homes. This is a new kind of colonialism, where control comes not from force, but from the power to take away basic needs.

And here comes the lowest blow: where is the local press?

While news outlets dedicate hours to superficial local political drama or issues taking place on Capitol Hill, or the eternal (and seemingly unresolvable) status discussions, impactful reports on the direct consequences of these budgetary threats are relegated to the sidelines. Why isn't the risk of thousands of families losing their PAN benefits front-page news for days, as a minor corruption scandal would be?

The truth is harsh: much of Puerto Rico’s press has chosen to look away, almost to the point of being complicit. By not giving enough attention to the financial threats from Washington, they make the island’s economic struggles seem normal. They miss a key responsibility—to show how federal policies cause real suffering. Instead, they focus on drama instead of people’s basic needs.

If MAGA-driven policies break the fragile Puerto Rican economy, and the press does not warn people with the urgency this moment needs, we will have failed as a society. The attack on social programs is not just another issue—it is a test of Puerto Rican dignity in the face of American pressure. We must speak out now, before people lose their basic needs.