President Donald Trump today proposed $608 million for fiscal year 2019 through the Office of Insular Affairs (O.I.A.) for the benefit Americans in the U.S. territories of Guam, American Samoa, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, as well as the Republic of Palau, the Federated States of Micronesia, and the Republic of the Marshall Islands, O.I.A. announced.
The O.I.A. budget request includes $84.1 million in discretionary appropriations and $523.9 million in mandatory funding. Additionally, the budget requests $111 million of discretionary Department of Defense appropriations to be transferred to the Department of the Interior to support enactment of the 2010 Compact Review Agreement with Palau, according to the release.
These funds are provided to assist the government of Palau in its efforts to advance the well-being of its people and in recognition of the special relationship that exists between the United States and Palau, its importance as an ally and a key part of the Nation’s Asia-Pacific national security strategy.
“The 2019 budget request prioritizes the department’s mission of restoring trust and fulfilling insular responsibilities,” said Assistant Secretary for Insular and International Affairs Doug Domenech. “We are balancing O.I.A. efforts to strengthen economic and health capacities in the U.S. territories and fulfilling U.S. obligations under the Compacts of Free Association to the freely associated states.”
Tags: office of insular affairs, President Donald Trump, us territories, usvi
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