By Jude O. Marfil
For Variety

WASHINGTON, D.C. —Congresswoman Donna M. Christensen, chairwoman of the U.S. House Subcommittee on Insular Affairs, described Thursday’s oversight hearing on the CNMI as “heartbreaking.”
But Christensen, D-Virgin Islands, said she also believes that the situation in the commonwealth will eventually improve.
“It’s very painful to hear what’s happening. While the first part of the hearing was depressing, there’s some reason for optimism. We’ll try to come up with concrete ways to be helpful,” Christensen said in an interview after the two-hour hearing.
She said although the three panelists —Washington Rep. Pete A. Tenorio, Deputy Assistant Interior Secretary for Insular Affairs David B. Cohen and U.S. Government Accountability Office’s financial management and assurance director Jeanette Franzel — “gave good answers,” Christensen said she wanted to ask more questions about the CNMI.
“I think we have good information. I want to get some more. I never got to ask some questions because we were limited by time. But we got off to a good start,” she said.
Gov. Benigno R. Fitial was not invited to the hearing.
Besides Christensen, the subcommittee’s ranking member, Congressman Luis Fortuno, R-Puerto Rico, and Congresswoman Madeleine Z. Bordallo, D-Guam, joined the hearing. Congressman Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., briefly showed up.
The written statements that Cohen, Tenorio and Franzel submitted to Christensen’s subcommittee were mostly a rehash of the testimony they delivered before the U.S. Senate’s Committee on Energy and Natural Resources in February.
But Cohen updated the subcommittee on the results of his 902 talks with Fitial.
Franzel spoke of the CNMI’s accountability problems and weaknesses and delays in financial reporting (story on page 3), while Tenorio reported on the CNMI’s worsening economic conditions.
During the question and answer portion of the hearing, Flake raised the issue of human trafficking and why people from areas such as Fujian province in China are banned from coming to the CNMI.
CNMI Federal Labor Ombudsman Jim Benedetto, whom Cohen asked to speak on workers’ issues, explained that people from these areas have questionable documents.
Even though there is a moratorium on the issuance of entry permits to people from Fujian, Benedetto said recruiters still managed to get a waiver from the CNMI government.
“Some of the human trafficking victims come to the CNMI under government exemptions,” Benedetto said.
The hearing ended with a resolve among the committee members to push for a congressional delegate for the CNMI.
“Congresswoman Bordallo and I are going to reintroduce it — very soon,” Christensen said.
“I look forward to the day a delegate from the CNMI joins us up here,” Fortuno said.
For her part, Bordallo said: “The CNMI is one member of the American family without a voice in this House. Giving them congressional representation is simply the right thing to do.”
Christensen said her subcommittee will also consider Tenorio’s five recommendations: revisit the financial provisions of the Covenant; increase Compact-Impact funds; accelerate the release of the cover-over tax revenue from the U.S. Internal Revenue Service; grant funds under the Workers Investments Act; and amend Headnote 3A, which will allow the CNMI garment industry to use more imported raw materials for its products.
“These five clear, specific areas are not easy because of the budget limitations that we’re under,” Christensen said. “It’s not easy, with our pay goal rules that we impose upon ourselves. But at least we have a clear roadmap,” she added.
The subcommittee will hold a second public hearing in the CNMI in August.