Gov. Arnold I. Palacios talks to reporters on Friday.
GOVERNOR Arnold I. Palacios on Friday said labor, immigration, the economy and infrastructure are among the pressing issues the CNMI will raise in the forthcoming Covenant Section 902 talks with the federal government.
He said the talks have to be “purposeful, deliberate and impactful.”
“I have started talking to some folks who I believe would make tremendous contributions to the 902 talks,” Palacios told reporters. “I just don’t want this to be … a menu of the different challenges that we have.”
He added, “Once we finalize and we have a general list of what we want to bring forth to the federal government then we will submit a formal letter to the president of the United States of America,” requesting 902 talks.
Asked about his timeline in forming a 902 team, Palacios said: “We will do that right away. I already asked a couple of people to spearhead some of the discussions and help me put together the team. I’m going to do this in a month.”
The Legislature should also be involved with the 902 team, he said. “It will have one member from the Senate and one member from the House.”
“We will hold a press conference when the 902 team is put together so the community knows what is going on,” he said.
“With all the things that are happening, with all the discussions that I’m having with federal agencies related to … whether it’s labor, … infrastructure, … military [or] the economy — … we have to put them together and mesh them into four distinct subjects to bring up to the federal government. We don’t want to limit ourselves to four … but we want to make sure we put together subjects that need to be discussed,” said Palacios, who was in Washington, D.C. recently to meet with federal officials regarding the CNMI’s “urgent needs.”
He said labor and immigration are big challenges for the Commonwealth. “Economy, and infrastructure … are also immediate issues,” he added.
In October and November 2023, the CNMI Senate and House of Representatives adopted Senate Joint Resolution 23-5, which urges Palacios and President Joe Biden to hold Covenant Section 902 consultation talks that will address CNMI immigration, workforce, economic and transportation challenges as well as the U.S. military expansion in the region.
Section 902 of the Covenant — which made the islands part of the U.S. — allows the federal and Commonwealth governments to “consult regularly on all matters affecting the relationship between them.”
