form of government in conformity with the United States Constitution and the principles of the Declaration of Independence and is the functional equivalent of a State constitution, but did not restrict the authority of Congress under the Territorial Clause to determine the application of Federal law to Puerto Rico. Congress’ plenary power under the Territorial Clause was most recently and dramatically evidenced in 2016 with the enactment of the Puerto Rico Oversight, Management, and Economic Stability Act ( Public Law 114–187 ). (6) Congressional policies to date have dis­en­fran­chised the approximately 3,400,000 United States citizens residing in Puerto Rico who do not enjoy a democratic form of government at the national level as they cannot vote in the election of the President and Vice President of the United States, are not represented in the United States Senate, and only have one Resident Commissioner in the United States House of Representatives, who can only vote in the Congressional committees to which she or he is assigned. (7) Furthermore, the Federal Government may, and often does, treat the United States citizens residing in Puerto Rico unequally under most Federal programs and other laws applicable to the several States and their residents. In its December 14, 2016, Report to Congress, the Congressional Task Force on Economic Growth in Puerto Rico established that the territory is not treated equally with the States under more than 40 Federal statutes. (8) The limitations of, and unequal treatment under, territory status has left Puerto Rico under-developed when compared to the States and has substantially contributed to its fiscal and economic crisis, forcing a massive exodus that has resulted in 5,400,000 United States citizens of Puerto Rican ancestry living in the United States mainland. (9) Puerto Rico has been under United States sovereignty and within the United States customs territory for close to 120 years, making Puerto Rico the oldest, largest, and most populous colony in the world,