Gregorio Sablan: “I agree with you, sir. Yet, I don't think it strengthens America's position in the region if our population there is…”

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.

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

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.