President Proposes $608 Million FY 2019 Budget for the U.S. Territories and the Freely Associated States

$111 Million for Palau Compact Agreement is also requested

News Release from US DoI, Feb 12, 2018

WASHINGTON, D.C. - President Donald Trump today proposed $608 million for Fiscal Year 2019 through the Office of Insular Affairs (OIA) for the benefit of fellow 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 for our friends in the Republic of Palau, the Federated States of Micronesia, and the Republic of the Marshall Islands.

The OIA 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. 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 OIA 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.”

To view OIA FY 2019 budget justifications: click here.

The Department of the Interior is responsible for coordinating federal policy with respect to the territories of American Samoa, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and administering and overseeing U.S. federal assistance provided to the Freely Associated States of the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Palau under the Compacts of Free Association.  The Office of Insular Affairs’ mission is to restore trust and fulfill insular responsibilities by executing activities which bolster healthcare capacity, strengthen island economies, and fulfill U.S. Compact obligations.

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