The Water Resources Development Act Congress passed on Thursday could boost water project funding for the Marianas. The Act doubles the money authorized for the Safe Drinking Water Act, from the current $1 billion to $1.95 billion in 2021. The Marianas has received about $3.5 million annually from this fund since 2010, when I increased the insular area set-aside from 0.33 to 1.5 percent. The new WRDA gives us opportunity to double that amount through the annual appropriations process. WRDA also cancels a proposed deauthorization of $20 million for Saipan water infrastructure, from the 2007 Wat...

A potential government shutdown at the October 1 beginning of the fiscal year seems to have been averted as House and Senate leaders have reached agreement on a spending deal. Yesterday, Congress passed Energy and Water, Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, and Legislative Branch appropriations bills that included:

Language requested by the Pacific delegates directing the Government Accountability Office to study the cost and impact of delivering care to veterans in outlying areas through VA facilities versus foreign hospitals. The study will inform decisions on how to ease the burden of...