Large bipartisan group of delegates urge passage of compact funding

What may be the most urgent plea yet to approve funding for the compacts of Free Association, a bipartisan group of nearly fifty congressional delegates, is urging House Speaker Johnson to take action.

The letter, co-authored by Congressmen Ed Case of Hawaii and Steve Womack of Arkansas, who represent two states with the largest number of FAS migrants notes in part that, “Failing to ratify these agreements negotiated in good faith would be the most self-destructive gift the United States could give to the PRC, damaging U.S. credibility and deterrent capability in the FAS and the larger community of Pacific Island nations.”

They go on to write that, “The COFA are the cornerstone of U.S. presence in the Pacific Islands and have been recognized as strategically critical by numerous national security documents. 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 state and Defense Departments repeatedly emphasized in congressional hearings how crucial these relationships are to U.S. presence and operations in the Indo-Pacific.

The FSM, the Marshall Islands and Palau signed agreements last year to renew the compacts for 20 more years, but approval of “The Compact of Free Association Amendments Act of 2023” has been stalled in Congress, which has failed to include it in recent major legislation as hoped.

The group concluded, “Each day that we do not pass this legislation into law is an opportunity missed, and an opening for our enemies.”

Guam’s Jim Moylan, and the CNMI’s Gregorio “Kilili” Sablan were among the 48 bipartisan congressional members who signed onto the letter.