This week, Congressman Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan (D-CNMI), co-chair of the House Committee on Natural Resources Indo-Pacific Task Force, issued a press release urging Congress to extend Compact of Free Association (COFA) agreements with Pacific Island countries. In the press release, Sablan said it is important to complete these agreements in order to defend against China.
"The United States has close and long-standing relationships with the Federated States of Micronesia, Palau, and the Marshall Islands. But it would be a mistake to take these relationships for granted, especially at a time when China seeks to dominate the Western Pacific. Congress and the Freely Associated States must work together to finalize 20-year extensions of our Compact agreements and send them to the President for his signature without delay," Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan (D-CNMI) said.
According to the press release issued on July 18, the Indo-Pacific Task Force of the House Committee on Natural Resources conducted a hearing to oversee the proposed amendments to the Compact of Free Association (COFA) put forth by the Biden Administration. COFA are international agreements between the US and three Pacific Island nations known as the Freely Associated States (FAS): Palau, the Marshall Islands, and Micronesia. The Marshall Islands and Micronesia have a Compact which will expire in FY2023, while Palau’s Compact will expire in FY2024.
According to the Heritage Foundation, the Biden Administration presented legislation called the Compact of Free Association Amendments Act of 2023 to Congress in June. The proposal seeks a total of $7.1 billion in mandatory funds over a span of 20 years to support the Compacts, equaling approximately $110 million annually for each of the three states. Heritage reported that around $600 million is designated for the U.S. Postal Service to facilitate postal operations in the FAS. The article also noted that the total funding over 20 years for the FAS is less than one-tenth of the amount the US has given to Ukraine since February 2022.
According to the Heritage Foundation, if the COFA agreements are not renewed and adequately funded, there is a risk of losing exclusive U.S. military access to three strategically important Pacific Island allies. Furthermore, this could create an opportunity for China to further expand its influence in this vital region.
According to the press release, Amata Radewagen (R-American Samoa), Chair of the Indo-Pacific Task Force, said, "The Chinese Communist Party dictatorship has pursued a model in which they challenge U.S. leadership by attempting to leverage the FAS through systematic political warfare, economic disruption, corruption, and coercion. We have a duty to protect the interests of Americans and island peoples alike by reauthorizing these Compact agreements. While there is much work that remains to be done before the Administration’s proposal is ready, I stand prepared to work with our partners at this time of great importance in the Pacific."
According to a press release, the Indo-Pacific Task Force aims to deliberate on and promote strategies to mitigate the influence of the People's Republic of China (PRC) and safeguard America's ability to protect its interests, which includes effectively responding to any coercive activities by the PRC in the Pacific. "There is perhaps no greater threat to America’s national security and future prosperity than the continued growth of the People’s Republic of China and its influence on the world stage.”Bruce Westerman (R-AR), Chair of the Natural Resources Committee, said. “strategy to dominate the island nations and U.S. territories in the Pacific” continues to be a “direct threat to our influence and economic interests in the region.”
