Gregorio Sablan: “At this time, I yield such time that she may consume to the Congresswoman from California (Ms. Speier), the sponsor of…”

The explicit reasoning behind the most famous of the cases, Downes v. Bidwell in 1901 was that the new territories are inhabited by alien races that could not be governed by Anglo-Saxon principles.

The Compacts give the U.S. responsibility for the COFA nations' defense, and provide the United States with the exclusive military use rights.

there is no easy way that our nation will be able to maintain our influence in what is becoming an increasingly strategic, important, and contested area of the world without continuing our partnership with the COFA nations

I mentioned that the CNMI is facing financial conditions that make our commonwealth again acutely vulnerable to Chinese Communist Party exploitation.