American Samoa Delegate Amata Coleman Radewagen (R) recently took part in an oversight hearing of the United States House Committee on Natural Resources Subcommittee on Indian and Insular Affairs regarding the US Department of the Interior’s Office of Insular Affairs’ efforts in the Pacific territories to promote economic prosperity and safeguard US national security.
Coleman Radewagen said, “This is an important issue for us in American Samoa, as we are talking directly about the issues my home islands face. Right now, my congressional district is surrounded on three sides by countries that have increasingly entered China’s orbit. In the past month, independent Samoa and the Cook Islands have signed major deals with China, and separating us from Hawaii and the rest of the United States is Kiribati, which has begun to further align with China. On top of that, Chinese fishing vessels have increasingly penetrated American Samoa’s EEZ in conducting IUU fishing in the region. To protect United States sovereignty, we must develop the economies of the Pacific territories, and to protect American Samoa’s economy we need a permanent Coast Guard presence to deter China in the region.”
The delegate addressed her line of questioning to expert witness Cleo Paskal to bring out the need for supporting US fisheries such as American Samoa to push back on IUU fishing, how the American Samoa fishery is placed at a disadvantage due to rulemaking that restricts PRIMNM fishing waters, and the competitive disadvantage of not being eligible for Small Island Developing State (SIDS) status. These points were supported by Ms. Paskal’s more detailed testimony.
Also within her questions, Coleman Radewagen again publicly called for the Trump administration to rescind the Biden administration’s monument expansion.
During the hearing, Subcommittee Chairman Jeff Hurd (R) of Colorado said, “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.”
The US 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 US leadership and interests worldwide.
The purpose of the hearing as released by the delegate’s office stated, “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 US 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 US territories. The US holds military bases and installations in the Pacific territories that provide the US 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.
The 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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