Today, the Subcommittee on Indian and Insular Affairs conducted an oversight hearing regarding the Department of the Interior’s (DOI) Office of Insular Affairs' efforts in the Pacific territories to promote economic prosperity and safeguard U.S. national security. Subcommittee Chairman Jeff Hurd (R-Colo.) issued the following statement in response:

“It is more important than ever for us to be proactive in our support of the Pacific territories to keep our nation strong and secure. Chinese and North Korean aggression has grown in the region, and to ensure the safety of our Pacific territories, American Samoa, Guam, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Islands, we must work closely with the Department of Interior’s Office of Insular Affairs as we face these increasing threats.”

Background

The U.S. Pacific territories of American Samoa, Guam, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands are at the forefront countering attempts by the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and North Korea (DPRK) to weaken U.S. leadership and interests worldwide.

The PRC and the DPRK seek to inflict maximum harm against our fellow Americans in the Pacific territories through increased military aggression, IUU fishing, economic warfare, cyberattacks, espionage, and other forms of coercive and maligned activity. The U.S. federal government must work with the Pacific territories in countering these threats.

The DOI’s Office of Insular Affairs (OIA) is the office charged with managing federal relations with the U.S. territories. The U.S. holds military bases and installations in the Pacific territories that provide the U.S. military with land, air and sea-based strategic capabilities in close proximity to the PRC and the DPRK. The OIA plays a critical role in fostering economic prosperity for the Pacific territories and managing relationships with territorial governments, ensuring the United States’ commitments to the territories are upheld and ensuring that the federal government responds to security threats.

Today's hearing included testimony from national security experts and included discussion of critical issues for the DOI and OIA to consider going forward.

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