BLUE Pacific Act is a comprehensive framework to elevate and formalize the United States’ long-term engagement with the Pacific Islands. The bill codifies a strategy-driven approach across diplomacy, development, security, economy, environment, and people-to-people ties, with the goal of promoting peace, prosperity, and resilience in a region that spans a vast ocean and includes numerous small island states. Key features include a mandated Strategy for Pacific Islands Partnership every four years, new senior leadership roles to coordinate Compacts of Free Association and related programs, expanded staffing, and a suite of programs and funding to strengthen public health, media freedom, education, workforce development, trade, and climate resilience. The act also emphasizes cooperation with regional institutions and allies, and provides authority to extend certain immunities to regional bodies while increasing American presence through initiatives like American Spaces and civil-society engagement. The bill defines the Pacific Islands in precise terms (14 jurisdictions including Palau, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Tonga, Vanuatu, and others) and outlines several cross-cutting goals: uphold a rules-based regional order, boost regional infrastructure and connectivity, support civil society and democratic governance, and align U.S. actions with regional strategies and partners. It also creates reporting requirements and specific annual or multi-year funding authorizations for several programs, signaling an integrated, multi-agency approach to policy and resource allocation.
Key Points
- 1Strategy and Coordination
- 2- Requires the President to deliver a formal Strategy for Pacific Islands Partnership by Jan 1, 2027, and every four years thereafter, outlining overarching goals, measurable objectives, threat assessments, security plans, infrastructure investment, and a regional development strategy led by USAID; mandates interagency coordination across State, DoD, DHS, USAID, Treasury, and others.
- 3New Leadership and Governance
- 4- Establishes a Senior Official at the State Department to administer policy toward the Compacts of Free Association (Palau, Marshall Islands, FSM), reporting to the Assistant Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs; creates Ambassador’s Self-Help Small Grants Program (with funding set at $650,000 annually 2026–2033) to support small, community-led projects.
- 5- Creates the Committee on Engagement with Civil Society Organizations in the Pacific Islands to coordinate interagency engagement with civil society groups and ensure alignment with national security priorities.
- 6People-Centered Development Programs (Titles II)
- 7- Public health assistance (Sec. 201): support to improve health outcomes, build capacity, and infrastructure, with an emphasis on maternal/child health, NCDs, infectious diseases, water/sanitation, and health systems strengthening.
- 8- Freedom of the press and media development (Sec. 202–203): aid to promote free, accurate information; capacity-building for media, media literacy, local language content, and digital/broadcast connectivity; and continuation of the Indo-Pacific Media Advancement Program to counter disinformation.
- 9- Education and youth development (Sec. 204–206): education assistance, exchanges, and programs to foster young leaders and professionals; emphasis on official development assistance pathways and exchange programs (e.g., pathways from East Asia to the Pacific and alumni networks).
- 10- Pacific Islands TRADES Program (Sec. 207): workforce development through scholarships, training, and partner-granted support to sectors like construction, tourism, fisheries, and boat maintenance, with a focus on retention and alignment with Pacific priorities.
- 11- Investment and civil-society engagement (Sec. 208–209): promote investment incentives through U.S. Development Finance Corporation (DFC), and establish a cross-agency approach to engaging civil society organizations in the region.
- 12- American Spaces (Sec. 210): planning and reporting on American cultural and informational spaces (Centers/Corners) to expand soft-power presence and public diplomacy.
- 13Trade, Investment, and Economic Development (Titles IV–VIII)
- 14- Trade development and capacity building in the Pacific Islands; formal channels for U.S. commercial engagement and investment, including the potential use of investment incentive agreements with solomon Islands and Vanuatu through the DFC.
- 15- Emphasis on aligning U.S. assistance with regional goals such as the 2050 Blue Pacific Continent strategy.
- 16Environment, Ocean, and Resilience (Titles VI–VII)
- 17- Focus on climate resilience, disaster preparedness, and sustainable infrastructure; governance of ocean resources and measures to address illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing; emphasis on climate adaptation and maritime security.
- 18- Digital access, inclusion, and cybersecurity strategies to improve connectivity and resilience.
- 19Accountability and Reporting (Title VIII)
- 20- Consolidation and standardization of required reports to Congress; annual or quadrennial strategy reporting; authorization of appropriations for new programs and initiatives.
- 21- Clear definitions of “appropriate congressional committees” and the list of Pacific Islands for targeted policy actions.