Boosting Long-term U.S. Engagement in the Pacific Act
A BILL
To establish a comprehensive, long-term United States strategy and policy for the Pacific Islands, and for other purposes.
Sec. 2 Findings
Congress finds the following:
The Pacific Islands—
are home to roughly 10 million residents, including over 8.6 million in Papua New Guinea, constituting diverse and dynamic cultures and peoples;
are spread across an expanse of the Pacific Ocean equivalent to 15 percent of the Earth’s surface, including the three sub-regions of Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia; and
face shared challenges in development that have distinct local contexts, including climate change and rising sea levels, geographic distances from major markets, and vulnerability to external shocks such as natural disasters.
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—
protecting regional peace and security that fully respects the sovereignty of all nations;
advancing economic prosperity free from coercion through trade and sustainable development; and
supporting democracy, good governance, the rule of law, and human rights and fundamental freedoms.
Successive United States administrations have recognized the importance of the Pacific region, including the Pacific Islands, in high-level strategic documents, including the following:
The 2015 National Security Strategy, which first declared the rebalance to Asia and the Pacific, affirmed the United States as a Pacific nation, and paved the way for subsequent United States engagement with the Pacific Islands, including several new policies focused on conservation and resilience to climate change announced in September 2016.
The 2017 National Security Strategy, which includes a commitment to “shore up fragile partner states in the Pacific Islands region to reduce their vulnerability to economic fluctuations and natural disasters”.
The 2019 Indo-Pacific Strategy Report, which 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 initiatives, including—
the Pacific Pledge, which provided an additional $100,000,000 in 2019 and $200,000,000 in 2020, on top of the approximately $350,000,000 that the United States provides annually to the region to support shared priorities in economic and human development, climate change, and more; and
the Small and Less Populous Island Economies (SALPIE) Initiative launched in March 2021 to strengthen United States collaboration with island countries and territories, including in the Pacific Islands, on COVID–19 economic challenges, long-term economic development, climate change, and other shared interests.
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. The United States has provided over $130,000,000 in assistance to the Pacific Islands for their COVID–19 response. However, priorities must be met to ensure continued success in preventing the spread of the COVID–19 pandemic, achieving swift and widespread vaccinations, and pursuing long-term economic recovery in the Pacific Islands, including through—
expanding testing capacity and acquisition of needed medical supplies, including available COVID–19 vaccines and supporting vaccination efforts, through a reliable supply chain;
planning for lifting of lockdowns and reopening of economic and social activities; and
mitigating and recovering from the impacts of the COVID–19 pandemic on the health system and the reliance on food and energy imports as well as lost tourism revenue and other economic and food security damages caused by the pandemic.
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 countries of the Pacific Islands. Peace Corps volunteers continue to be in high demand in the Pacific Islands and have been requested across the region.
Sec. 3 Statement of policy
It is the policy of the United States—
to develop and commit to a comprehensive, multifaceted, and principled United States policy in the Pacific Islands that—
promotes peace, security, and prosperity for all countries through a rules-based regional order that respects the sovereignty and political independence of all nations;
preserves the Pacific Ocean as an open and vibrant corridor for international maritime trade and promotes trade and sustainable development that supports inclusive economic growth and autonomy for all nations and addresses socioeconomic challenges related to public health, education, renewable energy, digital connectivity, and more;
supports regional efforts to address the challenges posed by climate change, including by strengthening resilience to natural disasters and through responsible stewardship of natural resources;
improves civil society, strengthens democratic governance and the rule of law, and promotes human rights and the preservation of the region’s unique cultural heritages;
assists the Pacific Islands in preventing and containing the spread of the COVID–19 pandemic and in pursuing long-term economic recovery; and
supports existing regional architecture and international norms;
to support the vision, values, and objectives of existing regional multilateral institutions and frameworks, such as the Pacific Islands Forum and the Pacific Community, including—
the 2014 Framework for Pacific Regionalism;
the 2018 Boe Declaration on Regional Security; and
the Boe Declaration Action Plan;
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, including Australia, Japan, New Zealand, and Taiwan, in advancing common goals.
Sec. 4 Definitions
In this Act:
Appropriate congressional committees— Except as otherwise provided, the term appropriate congressional committees means—
the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives; and
the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate.
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.
Sec. 5 Authority to consolidate reports; form of reports
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.