U.S. Sens. Mazie Hirono and Brian Schatz, both D-Hawaii, are praising the inclusion of the Compacts of Free Association and specific provisions from the bipartisan Care for COFA Veterans Act in the federal appropriations package announced on Sunday.

What You Need To Know

  • The COFA bill builds on Hirono’s 2020 legislation to restore Medicaid eligibility for COFA citizens

  • Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, co-authored the Care for COFA Veterans Act with Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska

  • The measure authorizes the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to provide medical care to veterans of the U.S. military living in the Freely Associated States

  • The package is expected to be voted on this week

“The Compacts of Free Association are vital to the United States’ relationship with the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands and the Republic of Palau—critical allies in the Indo-Pacific,” said Hirono, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, in a statement issued on Sunday. “After years of negotiation, I’m proud to see the COFAs included in this appropriations package. As we work to counter China’s growing influence in the Pacific, these agreements are extremely important for our national security and that of our allies, and also for the tens of thousands of COFA citizens who live, work, and pay taxes in the U.S. Passing this legislation is critical to our national security, regional stability, and upholding our commitment to our Compact allies.” 

The bill builds on Hirono’s 2020 legislation to restore Medicaid eligibility for COFA citizens. Last year, Hirono reintroduced the Compact Impact Fairness Act to restore access to a range of federal benefits for COFA citizens residing in the United States.

Last summer, Hirono hosted a roundtable of COFA community leaders and advocates in Hawaii and, earlier this month, took to the Senate floor to call for the text of the COFA measure to be added to the national security supplemental bill.

Meanwhile, Schatz lauded the inclusion of provisions from the Care for COFA Veterans Act, which he authored with Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, that authorizes the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to provide medical care to veterans of the U.S. military living in the Freely Associated States.

“U.S. veterans living in the FAS deserve the same care as all other service members, without having to navigate complex, costly barriers or travel long distances just to see a doctor,” Schatz said.

The package is expected to be voted on this week.

If passed, the VA would no longer be restricted from providing services to veterans in the FAS, including direct care from VA providers through telehealth or contracts with community providers; shipping medication to the FAS; or reimbursing veterans for travel from their home countries to the United States.