Approved by the House Committee of Foreign Affairs last week, U.S. Rep. Ed Case (D-Kaneohe) reports the committee has included the bulk of his Boosting Long-Term U.S. Engagement in the Pacific (BLUE Pacific) Act in its major measure, the Ensuring American Global Leadership and Engagement (EAGLE) Act.
The EAGLE Act, also referred to as HR 3524, reassert U.S. leadership and engagement across an all-government spectrum in non-defense programs, according to Case's website.
"Great step toward our country’s increased engagement in our Pacific: my Boosting Long-Term U.S. Engagement in the Pacific (BLUE Pacific) Act has been largely included in the U.S. House’s major foreign policy package measure," Case said in a July 20 Facebook post.
The BLUE Pacific Act, also known as HR 2967, established "a long-term comprehensive strategy for U.S. engagement in the critical Pacific Islands region," Case's website said.
“This sends a powerful message to our critical Pacific Islands partners and allies that our country values our relationships and intends to invest further in them and to continue as an active and engaged partner in pursuit of our shared interests and in defense of our shared values," Case said, according to his website.
BLUE Pacific sections included as part of the EAGLE Act would also require coordination of U.S. engagement with regional partners, direct U.S. agencies to invest in climate-resilient projects, expand coverage of International Law Enforcement Academies program, increase U.S. efforts in assisting the Pacific Islands in addressing transnational crime, expand the Peace Corps and implement an emergency preparedness initiative for the islands.
Having passed the House Committee of Foreign Affairs, the EAGLE Act will now move on to the U.S. House for consideration.