[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 17 (Thursday, January 26, 2023)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E59-E60]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




INTRODUCTION OF THE NORTHERN MARIANA ISLANDS LEGAL RESIDENTS RELIEF ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                  HON. GREGORIO KILILI CAMACHO SABLAN

                    of the northern mariana islands

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, January 26, 2023

  Mr. SABLAN. Mr. Speaker, today, I am introducing the Northern Mariana 
Islands Population Stabilization Act. The bill is intended to bolster 
our nation's strategic interests in the Western Pacific by maintaining 
the population and prosperity of the Marianas, the district I 
represent.
  The Marianas is part of the chain of U.S. and U.S.-affiliated islands 
that faces Chinese expansion in the region. Through the Marianas, the 
U.S. controls an ocean area of 289,000 square miles, greater than the 
size of Texas.

[[Page E60]]

  Yet, the U.S. presence here is at risk. According to the 2020 
decennial census the population of the Marianas declined by 12.2 
percent since the 2010 census. This is the second largest decline among 
all states and non-state areas of our Nation over that 10-year period.
  This population erosion--and the loss of economic viability that 
results--occurs against the backdrop of increased competition with 
China in the Western Pacific, a time when the United States needs to be 
strengthening our position in the region, not shrinking in 
significance.
  There are many reasons why people are leaving the Marianas. There are 
better public services and greater economic opportunity in the mainland 
United States. The anxiety stemming from the repeated and 
hyperdestructive typhoons associated with accelerating climate change 
also factors in the decision to leave. I refer Members to the article 
``People are fleeing Puerto Rico, Guam and every other U.S. territory. 
What gives?'' in the Washington Post edition of September 23, 2022, for 
a discussion of population loss in all the U.S. insular areas. The 
article, ``Perfect Storm. When is it time to abandon a place to climate 
change?'' in Harpers Magazine's October 2022 edition tracks the 
decision of one family in the Marianas to leave their home to escape 
the impacts of climate change.
  Population decline, whether in the islands or in rural areas of the 
continental United States, creates a negative feedback loop. Reduced 
tax revenues limit the ability of local governments to improve 
services. And the reduced consumer base and labor pool throttle 
business. You can see this affect in the drop in Gross Domestic Product 
in the Marianas. GDP fell 11.2 percent in 2019, the most recent 
available data, a decline that would have been even more severe but for 
the COVID-related relief that Congress provided.
  The Northern Mariana Islands Population Stabilization Act builds on 
several laws enacted during the Trump administration and on previous 
action by the House.
  In the 116th Congress, we passed this same legislation by voice vote 
without dissent. It allows certain longterm foreign workers and 
investors already lawfully present in the islands to apply for 
permanent status in the Marianas-only. Previously, President Trump had 
approved USPL 115-218, defining these long-term workers, and signed 
USPL 116-24, creating the Marianas-only resident status.
  The Marianas-only resident status that President Trump sanctioned 
provides no eligibility for public assistance. It bars entry into any 
other part of the United States except for purpose of transit through 
Guam to a non-U.S. destination. The status President Trump approved is 
revocable in case of communicable disease, criminal conviction, or 
terrorist activity.
  Making this Marianas-only status available simply encourages 
continued residence and employment by people already lawfully present 
and gainfully employed; and doing so would help to stabilize the 
population in our islands.
  After the House approved the legislation I have introduced today in 
the 116th Congress, the Senate took no action. In the intervening 
years, the population eligible for Marianas-only status--which by 
definition cannot increase--has shrunk from 2,600 to 1,600, 
underscoring the continuing flight and the urgent need for us to act.
  In this time of heightened concern about spending, I do want to 
remind the House that the Congressional Budget Office determined in 
2019 this legislation has negligible effect on direct spending. That 
assessment must remain the same in 2023, as the number of affected 
individuals has only declined.
  I ask all Members to support this simple, straightforward response to 
the problem of population loss in the Marianas. It is not a total 
solution, but acknowledgement a problem exists and must be addressed.
  I ask, too, that Members see the Northern Mariana Islands Population 
Stabilization Act as an important component of our larger national 
response to the continuing Chinese expansion occurring throughout the 
Pacific.

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