[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 135 (Thursday, July 30, 2020)]
[House]
[Pages H3988-H3989]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  0930
                    INTRODUCING THE BLUE PACIFIC ACT

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Hawaii (Mr. Case) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. CASE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 7797, the 
Boosting Long-Term U.S. Engagement in the Pacific Act, also known as 
the BLUE Pacific Act.
  I am proud to have introduced this bill, together with my colleagues, 
Congressmen Ami Bera, Ted Yoho, Brad Sherman, and   Don Young, as well 
as other members of our Congressional Pacific Islands Caucus.
  Scattered across the vast waters of the Pacific, from Hawaii to Rapa 
Nui to Palau, and New Caledonia, are countless isles and atolls that 
constitute what we know as the Pacific Islands and their subregions of 
Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. The collective land and maritime 
exclusive economic zones of the Pacific Islands cover more of the 
Earth's surface than the land areas of China and Russia combined. These 
islands are home to diverse and dynamic cultures and people on the 
front lines of climate change and facing significant challenges to 
long-term sustainable development.
  The United States is not some remote power in this integral part of 
our world. For two centuries plus, we have been, and today we are, a 
Pacific nation. We have jurisdictions of our own among the family of 
Pacific Islands, including my home State of Hawaii. We have 
longstanding ties with all of the Pacific Islands, be they independent 
nations, countries in free association, or territories of our friends 
and allies.
  Countless Americans died to liberate our Pacific neighbors in storied 
battles, including Tarawa, Peleliu, Guadalcanal, and more, during the 
Second World War.
  In my own district is the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, 
the final resting place of so many of these warriors. Our foreign 
policy in the Pacific Islands is driven by this deep historical 
relationship and the shared interests and values built by decades of 
consistent but quiet engagement.
  Over the past 20 years alone, the United States has provided over $5 
billion in assistance for the region. In just the past decade, multiple 
administrations and Congresses have heightened our engagement in the 
Pacific Islands as we have focused our attention increasingly in the 
Indo-Pacific region.
  Reflecting this renewed attention to the Pacific Islands, last year I 
joined several of my colleagues in cofounding our first-ever, 
bipartisan Congressional Pacific Islands Caucus. We are dedicated to 
promoting greater understanding of this region and advocating for a 
sound United States foreign policy in the Pacific Islands that advances 
our shared interests and values.

[[Page H3989]]

  Our BLUE Pacific Act establishes a comprehensive, long-term framework 
for United States foreign policy in the Pacific Islands, focusing on 
three essential pillars:
  Security, development, and shared values.
  Our legislation would expand diplomatic and development presence; 
increase maritime security cooperation and assistance; deepen and 
diversify trade; support regional economic and social development in 
areas like public health and education; invest in climate adaptation 
and climate resilient infrastructure; coordinate with existing regional 
institutions and like-minded allies and partners; promote shared values 
like press freedom and gender equality; and strengthen people-to-people 
relationships and civil society. It would back up our commitment by 
authorizing $1 billion in assistance programs for the region for each 
of the next five fiscal years, more than triple current levels of 
assistance.
  In naming this bill, we not only pay tribute to the concept of the 
``Blue Pacific'' embraced by leaders of the Pacific Islands Forum 
themselves as a shared identity and platform for collective action, but 
also intend for our efforts to be informed by and coordinated with the 
work of existing regional institutions and frameworks. This legislation 
would also integrate these programs with those of our like-minded 
allies and partners, including Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Taiwan, 
and more.
  I have no doubt that the introduction and enactment of the BLUE 
Pacific Act will be welcomed by our partners and allies in the Pacific 
Islands.
  In uncertain times, this legislation sends a clear and powerful 
statement of what our foreign policy seeks to achieve--a regional 
order, built on mutual assistance and benefit, free of coercion, and 
fully respectful of the sovereignty of all nations. We seek to empower 
the countries and people of the region to determine the course of their 
own destinies. As a Pacific nation, we hope to share in that future 
alongside our Pacific Islands neighbors.
  The BLUE Pacific Act is the first step in that direction. I encourage 
my colleagues to join me in cosponsoring the BLUE Pacific Act and urge 
swift consideration of this critical legislation.

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