The Scoop
Republican and Democratic lawmakers in the House and Senate tell Semafor they plan to introduce a new bill Tuesday that would seek to limit China’s reach by strengthening the United States’ relationships with the Pacific Islands.
“This is something we have been trying to do [as] we’ve been watching over the last couple of years in Congress, what is going on ,” Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., told Semafor. “There is a role for us to play here; there is a relationship that is so important for us to continue to support.”
She added that “the goal here is to build momentum to get it passed in the Senate and the House; that’s why we’ve introduced it in both areas.”
Cortez Masto is sponsoring the legislation alongside Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa and Rep. Ed Case, D-Hawaii, plus Aumua Amata Coleman Radewagen, the Republican delegate from American Samoa.
The measure would direct the executive branch to develop a formal strategy for engaging the islands and empower it to extend them some diplomatic immunities, among other things.
The legislation comes as the White House agreed this week to temporarily slash tariffs on China while the countries continue trade negotiations.