Members of the United States Congress are on the island this week to meet with President Surangel Whipps Jr. and members of his cabinet to “reaffirm the strong and enduring partnership of the United States and the Republic of Palau.”
The US delegation will also have a press conference today with local media to entertain questions on issues relating to US policies in the region and toward Palau in particular.
The delegation consists of bipartisan members led by U.S. Representative Bruce Westerman, Chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee.
Accompanying Chairman Westerman are Representative Tom Tiffany (R-WI), Representative Harriet Hageman (R-WY), Representative Doug Lamborn (R-CO), Representative Amata Radewagen (R-AS), Representative Jim Moylan (R-GU), Representative Teresa Leger Fernandez (D-NM), Representative Melanie Stansbury (D-NM), and Representative Kilili Sablan (D-NMI).
In 2022, Palau received two U.S. Congressional delegation visits. In October, a delegation led by Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman-Schultz (D-Florida), chair of the US House of Representatives Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies visited accompanied by Congressman Ed Case (D-HI), Randy Feenstra (R-IA), and their congressional staff.
In November of 2022, a second U.S. Bipartisan Congressional delegation led by House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Gregory Meeks visited Palau on a fact-finding mission.
Also, in the country this week are members of the parliament in Japan, and they are in Palau hosted by the Palau National Congress, Olbiil Era Kelulau (OEK).