Kimberlyn King-Hinds
U.S. Congresswoman Kimberlyn King-Hinds on Wednesday said she intends to seek another term but stressed that, for now, her focus is “to get the job done” in the nation’s capital.
The CNMI’s second delegate to the U.S. Congress — and the first female and Republican to represent the Commonwealth — told reporters in a press briefing that there are many moving parts on the national level, and her job is to ensure that the CNMI is protected in these conversations.
She acknowledged that being challenged by “incredibly early” candidacy announcements “is the beauty of living in a democracy,” but said it does make the job “rather difficult when this early on, at a first term, the political season has officially been opened by that declaration,” referring to Northern Marianas College President Dr. Galvin Deleon Guerrero’s announcement to run for delegate.
The next election is 16 months away.
“But be that as it may,” King-Hinds said, “I’ve been very clear about my focus with regards to the CNMI. Right now, my focus is making sure that people have food on the table, and that the economy can support basic government services.”
She said if people have been tracking what’s happening in the CNMI economy, “we are seeing it shrink drastically; we are seeing a massive exodus in population, which further exacerbates consumer power and ultimately contributes to the CNMI economy’s struggles.”
“There will be time to campaign,” King-Hinds said, “so my focus right now is to do the job — to do the best I can to provide relief to the people of the CNMI.”
King-Hinds has sponsored several pieces of legislation, including H.R. 3400, known as the Territorial Response and Access to Veterans’ Essential Lifecare Act (TRAVEL Act of 2025), and H.R. 1797, the Employment Services and Jobs Parity Act.
“The task I face right now,” she said, “is to chip away every single day in terms of moving those pieces of legislation forward.” She is hopeful that some of the bills currently on the docket will be marked up, moved out of committee, and brought for a full vote in the U.S. House.
King-Hinds said many of the bills she has introduced have received bipartisan support. The TRAVEL Act, for example, was co-sponsored by four U.S. Democrats and three Republicans. “I am hoping to get those bills out of committee this year,” she said.
“That’s why the work needs to be put in. The work happens in the committees,” she added.
“Nothing moves if you don’t work hard and show up,” she said, emphasizing her commitment not to be distracted by the political season. “I make it a point to show up at every single committee hearing, to contribute my voice, and to make that push.”
