Everyone, it seems, wants the US Congress to pass the Compact of Free Association legislation for the RMI, Federated States of Micronesia and Palau — even most members of the Congress itself. But that hasn’t helped get the stalled legislation onto the Congress’ legislative calendar in a form that will make it passable.
Over five months since the previous 20-year funding agreements expired, the Congress has still not adopted the legislation that calls for $7.1 billion to be provided to the three freely associated states over 20 years.
Late last week, even the Pentagon joined the crowd clamoring for the Congress to take action.
“I want to take a moment to emphasize the critical national security importance of Congress passing our budget and the impacts for the Compacts of Free Association,” said Sabrina Singh, the Pentagon’s deputy press secretary, during a live-streamed press briefing late last week.
“These are important agreements with our longstanding partners in the Pacific islands region, the Federated States of Micronesia, Palau and the Republic of the Marshall Islands,” Singh said. “Our State Department colleagues have successfully negotiated a 20-year extension, and now we just need Congress to fund and enact it.”
American Samoa Representative Amata Radewagen issued a press statement at the end of last week highlighting the need to pass the Compact legislation. She also joined with other Congressional colleagues in urging the Speaker to get the legislation back onto the Congressional agenda.
On Thursday, Radewagen spoke with Speaker Mike Johnson to convey her viewpoint as a Member of Congress from the region. “I was pleased that the Speaker told me he recognizes the urgency of this matter and said it’s getting priority attention,” she said.
Also, this week she took part in a bipartisan letter to the Speaker urging the inclusion of the Compact of Free Association (COFA) Amendments Act of 2023, HJ Resolution 96, a bill which Amata cosponsored, in the next available legislative vehicle.
“The Compacts of Free Association (COFA) include non-expiring provisions securing vital defense rights in strategically critical areas of the Pacific increasingly contested by the People’s Republic of China (PRC),” the letter to the Speaker said.
Compact legislation has already been approved by the House Committee on Natural Resources and other committees of the Congress.
The letter, led by Congressman Steve Womack (R-Arkansas) and Congressman Ed Case (D-Hawaii) included the signatures of 48 Members of Congress, and states: “The Compacts of Free Association (COFA) are the cornerstone of US presence in the Pacific Islands and have been recognized as strategically critical by numerous national security documents, including the 2022 Indo-Pacific Strategy. The PRC currently is waging political warfare to expand its influence and disrupt friendly relations throughout the region, making our deep and enduring partnerships with these nations more critical than ever. Senior officials from the Department of State and the Department of Defense repeatedly emphasized in Congressional hearings how crucial these relationships are to US presence and operations in the Indo-Pacific.”
The letter continues, “Each day that we do not pass this legislation into law is an opportunity missed, and an opening for our enemies to sow doubt about our viability as a partner and our strength as an ally. With so much at stake in the Indo-Pacific, we urge you to include this legislation in any available vehicle.”