U.S. Supreme Court declines to extend federal benefits to Puerto Rico

FILE PHOTO: Visitors walk their dogs across the Supreme Court Plaza during a storm on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., February 22, 2022. REUTERS/Tom Brenner/File Photo

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Congress can prevent people in the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico from participating in a federal program that provides benefits to low-income elderly, blind and disabled people, the Supreme Court ruled on Thursday.

The justices ruled 8-1 in favor of President Joe Biden's administration, saying that the decision by Congress decades ago to exclude Puerto Rico from the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program did not violate a U.S. Constitution mandate that laws apply equally to everyone.