Ed Case: “I appreciate the very kind remarks of my colleague from North Carolina (Ms. Manning). Mr. Speaker, I rise today in very…”

“I appreciate the very kind remarks of my colleague from North Carolina (Ms. Manning). Mr. Speaker, I rise today in very strong support of this bill, the Pacific Partnership Act, which aims to broaden and deepen our critical partnerships with our fellow nations of the Pacific. I first thank my colleague, the gentlewoman from American Samoa (Mrs. Radewagen), and our 24 bipartisan cosponsors, as well as our House Committee on Foreign Affairs, which reported out this 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 malign 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. Our bill, H.R. 7159, advances these goals.…”