Boosting Long-term U.S. Engagement in the Pacific Act

Short title— This Act may be cited as the “Boosting Long-term U.S. Engagement in the Pacific Act” or “BLUE Pacific Act”.

Table of contents— The table of contents for this Act is as follows:

The Pacific Islands—

The United States is a Pacific country with longstanding ties and shared values and interests with the Pacific Islands, including through the Compacts of Free Association with the Freely Associated States, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, and the Republic of Palau.

The United States has vital national security interests in the Pacific Islands, including—

The United States National Security Strategy released in December 2017 outlines a United States foreign policy in the Indo-Pacific region based on strengthening alliances and partnerships old and new, promoting regional development including through fair and reciprocal trade, and maintaining a strong defense to protect regional peace and security. The National Security Strategy includes a commitment to “shore up fragile partner states in the Pacific Islands region to reduce their vulnerability to economic fluctuations and natural disasters”.

At the 30th Forum Partners Dialogue of the Pacific Islands Forum held in Nauru in September 2018, then-Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke stated: “The United States is deeply committed to the security and prosperity of our friends and neighbors in the Pacific . . . We see all of the Pacific Islands as an essential part of our free and open Indo-Pacific policy . . . When the United States invests in the Pacific Islands, we do so as a partner committed to a shared future that advances national sovereignty, regional cooperation, and trust.”.

The Department of Defense’s June 2019 Indo-Pacific Strategy Report identified the Pacific Islands as “critical to U.S. strategy because of our shared values, interests, and commitments” and committed the United States to “building capacity and resilience to address maritime security; Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated fishing; drug trafficking; and resilience to address climate change and disaster response”.

The United States has deepened its diplomatic engagement with the Pacific Islands through several recent meetings, including—

The Boe Declaration on Regional Security, signed by leaders of the Pacific Islands Forum in 2018, affirmed that climate change “remains the single greatest threat to the livelihoods, security, and wellbeing of the peoples of the Pacific” and asserted “the sovereign right of every Member to conduct its national affairs free of external interference and coercion”.

The Asian Development Bank has estimated that the Pacific Islands region needs upwards of $2.8 billion a year in investment needs through 2030, in addition to $300 million a year for climate mitigation and adaptation over the same period.

The Pacific Islands swiftly enacted effective policies to prevent and contain the spread of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (commonly referred to as “COVID–19”) pandemic to their populations. To assist the Pacific Islands in their response, the United States has provided over $32,000,000 in funding and coordinated its efforts with the Pacific Joint Incident Management Team. However, priorities must be met to ensure continued success in preventing the spread of the COVID–19 pandemic and long-term economic recovery in the Pacific Islands, including—

Since 1966, thousands of Peace Corps volunteers have proudly served in the Pacific Islands, building strong people-to-people relationships and demonstrating the United States commitment to peace and development in the region. Prior to the COVID–19 pandemic, the Peace Corps maintained presence in four Pacific Island countries. Peace Corps volunteers continue to be in high demand in the Pacific Islands and have been requested across the region.

to develop and commit to a comprehensive, multifaceted, and principled United States policy for the Pacific Islands that—

to support the vision, values, and objectives of the Pacific Islands Forum and other existing regional institutions and frameworks, including—

to extend and renew the provisions of the Compacts of Free Association and related United States law that will expire in 2023 for the Republic of the Marshall Islands and the Federated States of Micronesia and in 2024 for the Republic of Palau unless they are extended and renewed; and

to work closely with United States allies and partners with existing relationships and interests in the Pacific Islands in advancing common goals.

Appropriate congressional committees— The term appropriate congressional committees means—

Pacific Islands— The terms Pacific Islands means the Cook Islands, the Republic of Fiji, the Republic of Kiribati, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of Nauru, Niue, the Republic of Palau, the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, the Independent State of Samoa, the Solomon Islands, the Kingdom of Tonga, Tuvalu, and the Republic of Vanuatu.

Authority To consolidate reports— Any reports required to be submitted to the appropriate congressional committees under this Act that are subject to deadlines for submission consisting of the same units of time may be consolidated into a single report that is submitted to appropriate congressional committees pursuant to such deadlines and that contains all information required under such reports.

Form of reports— Each report required by this Act shall be submitted in unclassified form but may contain a classified annex.