Speeches & Testimony

I rise today in strong support of H.R. 7159, the Pacific Partnership Act, which aims to broaden and deepen our critical partnerships with our fellow nations of the Pacific.

I want first to thank my co-lead, Representative Andy Barr of Kentucky, and our 22 bipartisan cosponsors. As well as our House Committee on Foreign Relations, which reported our bill unanimously.

Our country’s Indo-Pacific Strategy states in no uncertain terms that no region is of more consequence to the world and to everyday Americans than the Indo-Pacific. The United States and our allies and partners around the world who are aligned with an international rules-based order share the common vision  of a free and open Indo-Pacific whose governance, priorities, goals and prosperity are determined by the countries of the Indo-Pacific  without manipulation and dominance by malicious actors.

This is especially true of the Pacific Islands themselves, in the heart of the Pacific, which today face the challenges of increased natural disasters and human and drug trafficking, economic sustainability, threats to democracy and more. It is crucial that the United States continue to extend our hand of full partnership in assisting the countries of the Pacific to meet these challenges, as we have for generations.

H.R. 7159 advances these goals. It first recognizes that the United States is a Pacific nation and has longstanding and enduring cultural, historical, economic, strategic and people-to-people connections with the Pacific Islands, based on shared values, cultural histories, common interests and a commitment to fostering mutual understanding and cooperation. It acknowledges that the United States should support the vision, values and objectives of the Pacific Islands.

This bill requires the President to develop a Strategy for Pacific Partnership that will set goals for United States engagement with the Pacific Islands, assess the threats and pressures to the region and a plan to address such threats, and analyze the needs and goals of the Pacific Islands in the context of the national interests of the United States.

Critically, our bill requires the strategy to be developed in full consultation with the governments of Pacific Islands countries and their multilateral organizations, ensuring that the United States supports the priorities of, by and for the Pacific and not of other countries who may be pursuing inconsistent priorities.

H.R. 7159 also extends diplomatic courtesies and traditional protocols to the Pacific Islands Forum, the primary multilateral organization of the region. The Pacific Islands Forum engages in critical, consensus-building work and just held its 53rd Leaders Meeting in Tonga two weeks ago, at which Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell led the United States delegation. The extension of such diplomatic courtesies will foster creation of a Pacific Islands Forum mission to the U.S. which will strengthen the collective voice of the Pacific internationally, in opposition to other attempts to divide and isolate the Pacific Islands, and further expand our relationship and collaboration on strategic matters of mutual interest.

Finally, our bill requires increased collaboration with our partners and allies in the region, including Australia, Japan, and New Zealand, ensuring the most efficient and effective use of limited resources and programs. This is critical as we are stronger when we do this important work in coordination with our allies and partners.

I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting the passage of the Pacific Partnership Act. 

I yield back.