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Bordallo pushes for Palau Compact renewal
WASHINGTON, D.C.—Congresswoman Madeleine Z. Bordallo urged members of the House Natural Resources Committee to support a bill that would renew the Compact of Free Association between the United States and the Republic of Palau.
She also urged the Committee to include provisions that would address Compact impact expenses incurred by the Government of Guam and other affected jurisdictions. The current Compact with Palau expired seven years ago, in 2009. She underscored that the inaction by Congress to renew the Compact could risk the U.S.’s strategic partnership with Palau and may undermine efforts to support the Asia-Pacific rebalance. She highlighted her efforts to find innovative solutions that would reduce the costs borne by local jurisdictions in administering the Compacts.
“Renewal of the Palau Compact is crucial to our country’s continuing strategic rebalance to the Asia-Pacific region. Palau is one of our nation’s closest and strongest allies in the Pacific, and the longer we delay fulfilling our commitment to Palau, the more we risk our strategic relationship with Palau and potentially undermine other efforts in support of the Asia-Pacific rebalance. I strongly encourage my colleagues to approve this agreement, which has not been renewed since it expired in 2009,” she said.
“Further, we must find solutions to reduce the costs of administering the Compacts in Guam, Hawaii, and the CNMI. Our local governments cannot continue to bear the burden of these costs, and Congress must act to ensure that the Compacts are sustainable for all jurisdictions. I have proposed several solutions to address these costs in my Compact Impact Relief bill, and I hope that we will consider these proposals as we move forward. The affected jurisdictions have spent hundreds of millions to support the Compacts and migrants, and Congress must provide relief that would alleviate these costs,” added Bordallo.
