“It is a high honor for Mr. Babauta and well deserved. Tony has spent his entire career working for the good of the people of his home in Guam and all the U.S. insular areas. Mr. Babauta was instrumental in the passage of legislation that provided a seat in Congress for the people of the Northern Mariana Islands in the last Congress. I am sure that in his new capacity as assistant secretary for insular affairs Tony Babauta will continue to put his experience and his compassion to work for the benefit of American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
“The selection of Mr. Babauta is also a mark of respect by President Obama for the people of the U.S. insular areas. The president has elevated the management of federal affairs in the islands to the assistant secretary level, as it was during the Clinton administration. And he has chosen one of our own to look out for our welfare. Those decisions reveal a sensitivity to the difficulties all of the insular areas face in their development as part of the American political and economic family.
“I thank the president for his choice of Mr. Babauta to be Interior Department Assistant Secretary. I recommended Tony for this position. I will continue to support him as he seeks confirmation by the U.S. Senate. And I look forward to working with Tony Babauta in his new position over the coming years.”
