Introduction of the Northern Mariana Islands Population Stabilization Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. SABLAN. Mr. Speaker, today, I am introducing the Northern Mariana Islands Population Stabilization Act. The bill is intended to bolster our nation's strategic interests in the Western Pacific by maintaining the population and prosperity of the Marianas, the district I represent.

The Marianas is part of the chain of U.S. and U.S.-affiliated islands that faces Chinese expansion in the region. Through the Marianas, the U.S. controls an ocean area of 289,000 square miles, greater than the size of Texas.

Yet, the U.S. presence here is at risk. According to the 2020 decennial census the population of the Marianas declined by 12.2 percent since the 2010 census. This is the second largest decline among all states and non-state areas of our Nation over that 10-year period.

This population erosion--and the loss of economic viability that results--occurs against the backdrop of increased competition with China in the Western Pacific, a time when the United States needs to be strengthening our position in the region, not shrinking in significance.

There are many reasons why people are leaving the Marianas. There are better public services and greater economic opportunity in the mainland United States. The anxiety stemming from the repeated and hyper- destructive typhoons associated with accelerating climate change also factors in the decision to leave. I refer Members to the article ``People are fleeing Puerto Rico, Guam and every other U.S. territory. What gives?'' in the Washington Post edition of September 23, 2022, for a discussion of population loss in all the U.S. insular areas. The article, ``Perfect Storm. When is it time to abandon a place to climate change?'' in Harpers Magazine's October 2022 edition tracks the decision of one family in the Marianas to leave their home to escape the impacts of climate change.

Population decline, whether in the islands or in rural areas of the continental United States, creates a negative feedback loop. Reduced tax revenues limit the ability of local governments to improve services. And the reduced consumer base and labor pool throttle business. You can see this affect in the drop in Gross Domestic Product in the Marianas. GDP fell 11.2 percent in 2019, the most recent available data, a decline that would have been even more severe but for the COVID-related relief that Congress provided.

The Northern Mariana Islands Population Stabilization Act builds on several laws enacted during the Trump administration and on previous action by the House.

In the 116th Congress, we passed this same legislation by voice vote without dissent. It allows certain long-term foreign workers and investors already lawfully present in the islands to apply for permanent status in the Marianas-only. Previously, President Trump had approved USPL 115-218, defining these long-term workers, and signed USPL 116-24, creating the Marianas-only resident status.

The Marianas-only resident status that President Trump sanctioned provides no eligibility for public assistance. It bars entry into any other part of the United States except for purpose of transit through Guam to a non-U.S. destination. The status President Trump approved is revocable in case of communicable disease, criminal conviction, or terrorist activity.

Making this Marianas-only status available simply encourages continued residence and employment by people already lawfully present and gainfully employed; and doing so would help to stabilize the population in our islands.

After the House approved the legislation I have introduced today in the 116th Congress, the Senate took no action. In the intervening years, the population eligible for Marianas-only status--which by definition cannot increase--has shrunk from 2,600 to 1,600, underscoring the continuing flight and the urgent need for us to act.

In this time of heightened concern about spending, I do want to remind the House that the Congressional Budget Office determined in 2019 this legislation has negligible effect on direct spending. That assessment must remain the same in 2023, as the number of affected individuals has only declined.

I ask all Members to support this simple, straightforward response to the problem of population loss in the Marianas. It is not a total solution, but acknowledgement a problem exists and must be addressed.

I ask, too, that Members see the Northern Mariana Islands Population Stabilization Act as an important component of our larger national response to the continuing Chinese expansion occurring throughout the Pacific.

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