Amata Chairs First Hearing of Indo-Pacific Task Force on Deterring PRC Regional Influence
Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Uifa’atali Amata chaired the first oversight hearing Wednesday of the House Committee on Natural Resources Indo-Pacific Task Force. Task Force Chairman Aumua Amata Coleman Radewagen (R-American Samoa) with Co-Chairman Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan (D-CNMI) led the bipartisan examination of how the Compacts of Free Association (COFA) support U.S. interests and counter the People's Republic of China's (PRC) influence.
Task Force Chairman Amata and Co-Chairman Sablan in House Natural Resources Committee Indo-Pacific Task Force Hearing
Video of the hearing is available here and Chairman Amata calls the hearing to order about the 17:10 mark of the livestream and begins her Opening Statement.
“The Compacts of Free Association are the official recognition of the close U.S. partnerships with the Republic of Palau, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Federated States of Micronesia,” said Chairman Amata. “These allies share a commitment to democracy with us, and are in strategic locations in the vast Pacific Ocean. The United States must continue demonstrating our commitment to the region, especially in light of China’s ambitions, and this Committee is doing its part.”
“The Compacts are essential to America’s security posture in the Western Pacific but, we must remember the Compact nations—Palau, the Marshall Islands, Micronesia—have a choice. They can choose to renew or not. And after 35 years of free association with the U.S. these nations are still in the bottom of all nations when it comes to economic prosperity," said Co-Chairman Sablan. "So, Congress has to offer a good deal and the U.S. must do more technical follow-up to ensure the next 20 years of free association truly result in better lives for our family and friends in the freely associated states.”
The U.S. has vital security and economic interests throughout the Indo-Pacific region, particularly amid rising competition with the PRC. The importance of the Freely Associated States (FAS) for the U.S. cannot be overstated, given the proximity to the U.S. homeland areas and the broader geopolitical context.
The PRC has continued to gain influence in the region not only through economic aid and infrastructure development, but also by attacking democratic institutions, civil society, rule of law, and lawful private free enterprise. The PRC has leveraged its resources to shape political outcomes and perceptions of the U.S. in the Indo-Pacific, and to retaliate against any Pacific nation that chooses to not align with the PRC.
To counter PRC influence and maintain the United States' capacity to secure its interests, the U.S. must remain engaged with the FAS Indo-Pacific region and respond to malign PRC coercive activity. The COFA is critical to the U.S. relationship with the FAS and for U.S. foreign policy in the Indo-Pacific.
Today's hearing was the first step in producing comprehensive policy solutions to counter the threat of the PRC's influence in the region while preserving the U.S. interests in the Indo-Pacific. The Indo-Pacific Task Force will continue to hold hearings to find these solutions.
Chairman Amata’s Opening Statement
“Talofa lava and good morning. There is no more fitting way for me to begin this proceeding than to express my heartfelt gratitude to Chairman Westerman and Ranking Member Grijalva for entrusting this mission to me as Chair, and to my esteemed Pacific Island colleague from CNMI, the Honorable Kilili Sablan, as Co-Chair. By doing so, they have empowered the people of the Pacific Islands whose past and future under the American flag comes first in our minds and our hearts.
Our duty is to better enable the House Natural Resource Committee, and Congress to determine how best to protect American values and interests in the Pacific. Chairman Westerman and Ranking Minority Member Grijalva, with the help of the distinguished members of this Task Force, we won’t let you down.
The Pacific region is critical for U.S. interests and security. The U.S. has a vested interest in and duty to protect U.S. homeland territories like my home, American Samoa, and the Freely Associated States from rising influence from the People’s Republic of China. The Compacts of Free Association are vital to that endeavor and the broader U.S.-China competition.
My work on this enterprise is informed by my participation in the September 2022 Pacific Island Leaders Conference in Honolulu with heads of state from the PIF nations, including the FAS and chief executives from the U.S. territories. I also participated in the first-ever U.S.-Pacific Islands Country Summit held in Washington D.C.
I approach this task force with a keen recollection of my participation in the U.S.-Pacific Islands Summit Declaration that affirmed that COFA is a high priority and one of the “cornerstones of U.S.-Pacific cooperation.”
As we gather now for this Task Force hearing, we must continue to show our commitment to the region and our resolve the challenges and respond to any threat posed by the PRC. We will do this in a manner that meets U.S. interests and supports Pacific Island communities in our territories and the FAS.
The Indo-Pacific Task Force will enable Congress to rise to this challenge.
The Administration must work with the leadership of this Committee and Congress to ensure that we have what we need to enact a COFA agreement that is fair and just, reasonable and responsible, and protects U.S. interests in the Pacific.
This isn’t just about U.S. interests, but also that of the people who live in the FAS. The COFA agreements are a symbol of democracy, good governance, transparency, and the rule of law. We have seen, in the FAS, that the PRC is the antithesis of those values – we just need to look at President Panuelo’s letter of PRC activities in the FSM.
I want to welcome all the Members who sit on this Task Force as we address the issues affecting the U.S. in the Pacific. We all come from a broad and diverse background, a key American strength. Through this diversity, we will deliver for the American people as we shepherd the COFA agreements through Congress and address the issues and challenges the U.S. faces in the Pacific.
We do this, not just for this generation but for generations to follow.
There is a lot that needs to be done and so I look forward to getting to work and hearing from our witnesses today.”
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