Overview:
President Surangel Whipps Jr. is renewing his push to establish a Ministry of Interior while the ministries of Finance and Education remain without Senate-confirmed leaders. Education officials say the vacancy is causing delays in grant processing, signatures and routine paperwork, raising questions about the impact of prolonged leadership gaps on government operations.
By: Eoghan Olkeriil Ngirudelsang
Koror, Palau (Oct. 8, 2026) — At yesterday’s Thursday presidential press conference, President Whipps again discussed his plan to establish a Ministry of Interior. He said, “There are many bills still in the Olbiil er a Kelulau; we have our request for the Ministry of Interior, it still hasn’t happened”.
While Whipps is still pushing to create one more ministry, senators again asked during this season’s Fiscal Year 2027 budget hearings about two long-vacant posts: the ministries of Finance and Education still have no Senate-confirmed ministers, and ministry staff says the situation is slowing some work.
At an August 12 budget hearing with the Ministry of Education (MOE), lawmakers asked whether the absence of a confirmed minister was affecting operations. Officials described how the lack of a minister affects grant processing and routine approvals in a ministry that depends heavily on U.S. federal grants.
Grant processing and signatures
Ida Kilcullen, MOE’s director of curriculum and instruction, explained how a minister’s signature normally helps move grants forward.
“I will just give an example, Senator – regarding grants, as I am in charge of MOE grants. All grants are usually awarded by July 1st. In previous years, when MOE is awarded, I go in the system and print them out and give them to the minister to sign, after which they are immediately sent to finance. We do that because we must follow the school and project schedules. That is an example: grants are awarded, I download them, the minister signs them, and it is sent to finance the same day. From there, finance begins organizing such grants into different categories of use – simply, we can access grant funding much quicker”.
Kilcullen said grant documents are now being sent to the Office of the President, and she is unsure of the schedule for forwarding them to Finance.
She adds that “there is confusion relating to federal grants. We have to submit information as to who receives these funds. Who receives the first communication? For me, that is the difficulty I face regarding grants, because grant communications are usually very clear that they must be received by the head of the school system – so it must be the minister”.
She added that changes in U.S. federal grant administration have added complexity.
“There are delays and confusion. Even back and forth with the federal government, because, if you know, all workforce grants were moved from the Department of Education to the Department of Labor, and even some essential grants moved to the Department of Health and Human Services. Therefore, we’re working with new people, a new platform, and a new funding system. Since we are already dealing with all these at the federal level, working with only the minister speeds up the process”.
Routine paperwork can pile up
Another MOE official at the hearing said the ministry is operating but that some tasks take longer without a minister to sign documents.
“While the ministry is operating well, work is delayed many times. While we know the president is serving as President and Minister simultaneously, there is a lack of communication, particularly between the President’s office and our office – many times we drop documents and would have to wait. What should be a 2-day job ends up being stacked up, waiting for when we are notified that it’s signed off and ready for pick up”.
Confirmations and past vacancies
Ministerial vacancies are not new to Palau. During the administration of former President Ngiratkel Etpison, some portfolios remained unfilled for extended periods. Some politicians who remember Etpison’s administration say that the delays then were largely due to Etpison waiting for major government reorganization and structural changes within different ministries which were also under discussion with the Congress at that time.
In the current term, Whipps’ nominees for Finance and Education — Kaleb Udui Jr. for and Dr. Dale Jenkins were not confirmed by the Senate. In February, the Senate declined to move forward on several key nominations, leaving the two ministries without confirmed leadership.
Under Palau’s system, the Senate advises and consents on presidential nominees. When a nominee fails to secure confirmation after multiple attempts, past administrations have put forward alternate candidates. However, Whipps has not indicated whether he will submit new names or continue serving as acting minister for Finance and Education for the remainder of his term.
Both Udui and Jenkins remain active inside the ministries they once led: Jenkins now serves as an education advisor to the head of the executive, and Udui as director of Budget and Planning.