Jeff Bingaman: “as Hurricane Sandy was bearing down on our own east coast, causing tremendous damage, a supertyphoon named Bopha was…”

“as Hurricane Sandy was bearing down on our own east coast, causing tremendous damage, a supertyphoon named Bopha was also striking the small Asian Pacific nation of Palau. The U.S. Embassy in Palau issued a declaration on December 5. In response to this emergency, Palau has asked that the assistance agreement signed by the United States in 2010 be approved so the funds already agreed to can become available for disaster recovery. Palau is a strategic ally of ours in the western Pacific near Guam, the Philippines, and Indonesia. Last year, our own Defense Department wrote: Failure to follow through on our commitments to Palau, as reflected in the proposed (Agreement), would jeopardize our defense posture in the Western Pacific. It is important the United States demonstrate its reliability as a strategic partner in the Pacific by approving the 2010 agreement with Palau and meeting our commitments. I urge my colleagues to support the amendment. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Who yields time in opposition?”