US Senate passes funds for Pacific island nations after congressional delays
- Deals for Marshall Islands, Micronesia and Palau, intended to counter China’s influence in the region, win passage as part of appropriations package
- House passed bill, which averts a government shutdown, on Wednesday; now heads to White House for signing into law
Five months behind schedule, the US Senate on Friday approved promised economic assistance for three allied Pacific island nations to blunt China’s influence in the strategically vital region.
The delayed funding for the Marshall Islands, Micronesia and Palau under the Compacts of Free Association (Cofa) found its way through a US$460 billion appropriations package passed by the Senate hours before a midnight Friday deadline to narrowly avert a federal government shutdown.
The upper chamber voted 75 to 22 in favor of the six-bill package that will finance the federal government through September 30.
The Cofa deals were originally meant to be passed as part of the federal budget in October, when the new fiscal year began.
The House of Representatives passed the bill 339-85 on Wednesday. It now heads to President Joe Biden for his signing into law.
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US pledges support to Pacific Islands, rivalling China’s influence
First signed in the 1980s, the Cofa agreements provide the United States exclusive military access to strategic swathes of the western Pacific in exchange for economic help. They are seen as indispensible to Washington’s efforts to maintain its presence in the region.
