PALIKIR, Pohnpei (FSMIS) — The Federated States of Micronesia Congress met in plenary session and discussed at length a bill proposing to provide $941,000 to pay certain creditors in Chuuk owed by the Chuuk state government.
The bill is a component of a Financial Stabilization Program and the memorandum of understanding entered into on June 10 by FSM President Leo Falcam and the governor of Chuuk, according to the report by the Special Committee to Wait on the President.
The committee raised concerns regarding this request and recommended that a meeting be scheduled to address this matter.
Many of the members agreed that a meeting of the FSM leadership be held to discuss the ongoing renegotiations of the expiring provision of the nation’s Compact with the U.S.
There were two other matters reported by the special committee and discussed at length, which involved the state of Yap. One was the $200,000 appropriated by Congress for Yap public projects, which was diverted by Yap to finance Yap sport facilities for the FSM Games and the other concerned the need for the state to have a representative on the board of regents for COM-FSM.
Members complained that the Yap governor and the FSM president couldn’t just divert any funds appropriated by Congress for certain matters they see worthwhile. Most members who discussed the matter agreed that the two should come to Congress and have the appropriation bill amended to allow the use of funds as proposed by the state.
The committee also reported that one of its members expressed concern to the vice president, as the president is off-island, over the hiring practices of the executive branch.
