CNMI Priorities in Military Construction Report

Directive report language I requested regarding the Saipan and Rota airports was included in the House Appropriations Committee’s Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Subcommittee report. The language directs the Department of Defense to report to Congress on projected costs and timelines for planned military investments at the airports, as well as ways to maximize participation by CNMI construction companies and workers. I remain committed to ensuring these investments create meaningful opportunities for local businesses and workers. Separately, two requests we submitted with Representative Ed Case of Hawaii regarding the Freely Associated States were also adopted. The first directs the Department of Defense to report on efforts to strengthen civil-military relations in the FAS. The second reminds the Department of Veterans Affairs of its authority to provide direct care, telehealth, community care, and pharmaceutical delivery to veterans living in the FAS, and requests a report on plans to fully implement that authority — the same authority my bill, H.R. 6652, would codify into law.