‘Education, education, education…’
Congressman Sablan ran on a platform of “education, education, education,” believing learning was the key to success for his constituents and for the Commonwealth. His first year in office he secured $44 million in State Fiscal Stabilization Funds for the Marianas Public School System. Commissioner of Education Rita A. Sablan, Federal Programs Officer Tim Thornburgh, and Associate Commissioner for Instructional Services Jackie Quitugua came to Washington to collect the initial installment of $28 million from Education Assistant Secretary Gabriella Gomez. As a member of the Education and the Workforce Committee, the Marianas Congressman increased annual Title I-A funding set aside for the Marianas, when the Elementary and Secondary Education Act was reauthorized, made sure school staff were paid and students fed during the coronavirus, and kept library shelves filled with 65,526 books he and his staff hand-selected for the Marianas at the Library of Congress.
Making immigration ‘as least difficult as possible.’
Arriving in Washington as the federal government prepared to take over management of immigration in the Marianas, Congressman Sablan convinced Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano to allow Chinese and Russian tourists to enter the islands without visas. His advocacy for the use of parole authority to protect caregivers and others without legal status in the Marianas may have helped the Obama administration develop its Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program for “Dreamers.” And he painstakingly crafted bipartisan legislation that President Trump signed, allowing more foreign workers into the Marianas and creating an entirely new “long-term legal resident” immigration status for over 2,000 individuals who were at risk of deportation. He insisted the congressional staff in the Marianas become expert in how immigration impacted the islands and made the office a go-to location for those with immigration issues.
For the 16,000 constituents whose health insurance is Medicaid
Without representation in Congress the Marianas had always gotten the least Medicaid funding of any U.S. jurisdiction — and had to match federal money dollar-for-dollar. Congressman Sablan was able to boost funding for ten years in the Obamacare law in 2010 and get supplemental funding after Yutu. The real breakthrough, however, came when Sablan used his power as Vice Chair for insular affairs to bring Medicaid directors from all five island territories to a hearing before the Natural Resources Committee in 2019. Weeks later, the Energy and Commerce Committee to protect its own jurisdiction over Medicaid held the same hearing with the same witnesses, then backed legislation raising funding and lowering the local match requirement. From less than $5 million annually when Sablan was first elected with a 50-50 federal-local match requirement, Marianas Medicaid is now getting $68 million and inflation increases every year, while enjoying an 83-17 match, the best in the nation. On his way out the door with a Republican-controlled House, this September Sablan snagged a special one-time $27 million appropriation for Marianas Medicaid to pay off all its creditors.
Poverty: a national problem with local solutions
Congressman Sablan understood the power of joining forces. As a member of the Congressional Poverty Task Force, along with Steny Hoyer, James McGovern, Nancy Pelosi, and other leaders, Sablan made Marianas-specific issues part of the discussion to be built into larger policy initiatives. The cost of food was a main concern; and the federal Nutrition Assistance Program for the Marianas, like other federal grants, was insufficient and underfunded, when Sablan was elected. In the first of many steps, he convinced Agricultural Secretary Vilsack to raise the $10 million NAP grant administratively by the same percentage states received in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. A $30 million congressional appropriation followed when Sablan joined the Agriculture Committee. Disaster bills provided the means to put cash into NAP. And a sympathetic Biden administration increased the grant annually and recommends $60 million for fiscal 2025. With more than triple the annual funding from when Sablan began, Marianas NAP has raised benefits for all to the national level and given Tinian and Rota differentials to match the local cost of food.
Responding to Covid
Quarantined in the islands, but still responsible to be present for hearings, planning meetings, and congressional activities, Congressman Sablan worked the night shift during Covid. During the day he made time to volunteer to distribute food and address other community needs. The hands-on work helped him understand what people really needed during this unprecedented experience. He added a Marianas-specific unemployment system to relief legislation and a federally funded Earned Income Tax Credit to benefit about 8,000 lower income workers. Sablan also made sure the Commonwealth government got over half a billion dollars to get through the fiscal crisis.
At the table, or on the menu…
With humility, but with perseverance Congressman Sablan carved a place for the Marianas now that the islands were represented in Congress. He successfully made the case that in the absence of a U.S. Senator the Marianas Delegate should have responsibility for recommending to the President who should serve the federal judiciary in the Marianas. As a result, an indigenous woman, the Honorable Ramona V. Manglona, was nominated and confirmed, then renominated and confirmed again in 2024. Sablan also understood the power of symbolism, petitioning Speaker Nancy Pelosi to add the seal of the Commonwealth to the ceiling of the House Chamber and the Smithsonian Institution to add the Marianas flag to the display around the American History Museum. And he required by law that wherever in the world the U.S. military had all state flags flying the Marianas flag must fly, too.
