Gregorio Sablan: “I believe it is an excellent step in the right direction to help maintain the refuge system.”

Today is, indeed, a very important day, historic in some ways, because it marks the beginning of what I hope and I believe will be a successful bipartisan effort to renew the financial provisions of the Compacts of Free Association.

Thus, we come here under Chairman Westerman's leadership to regroup and confront together the PRC's threat to the freedom of the blue continent that stretches across the Indo-Pacific region.

Today is, indeed, a very important day, historic in some ways, because it marks the beginning of what I hope and I believe will be a successful bipartisan effort to renew the financial provisions of the Compacts of Free Association

I want to commend Chairman Westerman and Ranking Member Grijalva for creating this Indo-Pacific Task Force to provide for a bipartisan process.