President Biden Proposes $119.1 million in the FY2025 Budget for U.S. Territories and the Freely Associated States

WASHINGTON – The Biden-Harris administration today released the President’s Budget for Fiscal Year (FY) 2025. The President’s budget includes $119.1 million in current appropriations for the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Office of Insular Affairs (OIA). The proposal would fund initiatives benefitting fellow Americans in the U.S. territories of American Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. 

The FY 2025 budget also supports assistance needed to bring the Compact of Free Association Amendment Act of 2024 into force for the three freely associated states of the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI), and the Republic of Palau.

“President Biden has proposed a budget that strengthens our territories and complements the authorization of mandatory funding in the FY 2024 Consolidated Appropriations Act to secure our Compact of Free Association relationships for decades to come,” said Assistant Secretary – Insular and International Affairs Carmen G. Cantor. “OIA’s 2025 budget request will provide for investments in infrastructure, energy resiliency, and security and will promote equity in underserved communities allowing Interior to fulfill its responsibilities to the U.S. territories in the Pacific and the Caribbean.”

The FY 2025 budget proposal for OIA includes $119 million in current appropriations and $2 billion in permanent funding.

The budget request for current appropriations contains a total of $4.0 million in proposed increases from the FY 2024 Annualized Continuing Resolution level, including $1.0 million to support critical infrastructure needs in the Territories, $1.0 million for compliance with the Insular Areas Act (Public Law (P.L.) 112-149) related to groundwater monitoring of Runit Dome, and $700,000 to address additional conservation needs for the Insular Areas.

For more information on the President’s FY 2025 budget, please visit: https://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/budget/.

For the Department of the Interior’s FY 2025 Budget in Brief, please visit:
https://www.doi.gov/budget/appropriations/2024

The Assistant Secretary – Insular and International Affairs and the Office of Insular Affairs (OIA) carry out the Secretary of the Interior’s responsibilities for the U.S. territories of American Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Additionally, OIA administers and oversees federal assistance under the Compacts of Free Association to the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Palau. OIA also administers a discretionary assistance program for all the Insular Areas. Find information about OIA and its work on www.doi.gov/oia, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.

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