[2] The current commissioner is Pablo José Hernández Rivera of the Popular Democratic Party (PPD), the youngest person to hold the post.

United States Senator John Coit Spooner argued that granting a territory a delegate implied that it was on the path to statehood, which he asserted was not guaranteed for the new possessions acquired in the war, such as Puerto Rico and the Philippines.

The term had been used as to parts of the British Empire (see resident commissioner), but in an almost opposite sense; sent or recognized as the Crown's representative to manage a territory.

[5] The present-day resident commissioner, like the delegates from other territories and the District of Columbia, has almost all of the rights of other House members, including being able to sponsor bills and offer amendments and motions.

The position of Resident Commissioner in Washington is described as a democratic anomaly and does not meet any of the principles of true political representation.