{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://case.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=3645", "Case, Cortez Masto, Ernst, Radewagen Work To Strengthen Strategic Relationships With Pacific Islands", "2025-05-13", "2025", "2025-05", "Democrat", "House", "HI", "Ed Case", "C001055", "case.house.gov", "case", "https://case.house.gov/news/documentquery.aspx?DocumentTypeID=27&Page=5", "scraper", "(Washington, D.C) -- Today, U.S. Senators Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) and Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Congressman Ed Case (D-Hawaii-01), and Delegate Aumua Amata Radewagen (R-A.S.), introduced a bipartisan, bicameral bill aimed at strengthening the United States\u2019 strategic partnerships with Pacific Island nations, supporting sustainable development, and combating the increasing Chinese aggression in the region. The Pacific Partnership Act would help the U.S. establish a clear, comprehensive strategy to support diplomatic, security, and economic relationships in the Indo-Pacific region.\n\n\u201cOur Pacific Partnership Act responds directly to the reality that our country's and world's future lies in the Indo-Pacific, and that the islands of the Pacific are our indispensable partners in charting that future,\u201d said Congressman Case.\n\n\u201cThe Pacific Islands are under increasingly severe economic, environmental and geopolitical stress, and we must expand our generational engagement to assist them where they most need assistance. The Pacific Partnership Act, molded directly on the Pacific Islands\u2019 own blueprint to their collective future, is our roadmap to expanded engagement as well.\u201d\n\n\u201cSupporting our allies and partners in the Indo-Pacific is essential to combating the Chinese Communist Party\u2019s influence and to our long-term national security,\u201d said Senator Cortez Masto. \u201cThis bipartisan bill is critical to strengthening our ties with our allies in the Pacific and ensuring they become enduring global relationships.\u201d\n\n\u201cStrengthening America\u2019s partnerships in the Indo-Pacific is critical to deterring Chinese aggression,\u201d said Senator Ernst. \u201cThis bipartisan legislation equips us to work with nations in the Pacific that serve as the first line of defense against the Chinese Communist Party and keep Americans safe at home.\u201d\n\n\u201cThank you to Senator Cortez Masto, Senator Ernst, and Congressman Case for their focus on these important partnerships that are close to home for my congressional district in the South Pacific,\u201d said Congresswoman Radewagen. \u201cWe need sustained U.S. engagement for enduring partnerships in the Pacific Islands, keeping China\u2019s influence in check, and strengthening mutual development opportunities.\u201d\n\nThe U.S. has a longstanding relationship with the Pacific Islands, and they play a crucial role in U.S. national security, facilitating military operations in support of American allies and partners. Nevada \u2013 through the National Guard \u2013 collaborates with the Republic of Fiji, the Kingdom of Tonga, and the Independent State of Samoa under the National Guard Bureau\u2019s State Partnership Program, strengthening security cooperation globally.\n\nThe Pacific Partnership Act would strengthen these crucial ties by creating a \u201cStrategy for Pacific Partnership\u201d.\n\nThis strategy, crafted by the President and presented to Congress every four years, would outline U.S. involvement in the Pacific Islands and highlight combined efforts to combat regional challenges including natural disasters, security threats, and economic development.\n\nRead the full bill here.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T00:49:36Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://case.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=3645"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.7928172126412392, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}