Interior Invites Territories and Freely Associated States to Submit Requests for Funding under CARES Act

WASHINGTON – U.S. Department of the Interior Assistant Secretary, Insular and International Affairs, Douglas W. Domenech announced today that he has formally invited the Governors of the territories and the Presidents of the freely associated states (FAS) to submit requests for funding made available through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. The $55 million in emergency relief funding is available to the territories and the FAS to prepare, prevent, and respond to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. The island jurisdictions eligible for this funding are: American Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), the U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI), the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI), and the Republic of Palau.

“President Trump continues to fight every day for the American people, mobilizing all public and private sector resources to combat the coronavirus,” said Interior Secretary David Bernhardt. “These funds will provide critical support for families in the territories and the freely associated states. As the President continues to say, together we will overcome this crisis and emerge stronger than before.”

“We are pleased that the CARES Act includes this important support for the territories and the freely associated states,” said Assistant Secretary Domenech. “I have invited the insular area Governors and the Presidents to submit grant applications for this expedited funding immediately.”

“As President Trump said during his historic meeting with the Presidents of the Freely Associated States, the United States has a unique, historic, and special relationship with each of these countries,” said Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Sandra Oudkirk. “We are committed and proud to support these close partners in meeting the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic."

The CARES Act funds available for the territories and the freely associated states will be managed through the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Office of Insular Affairs (OIA) Technical Assistance Program (TAP). Funding is allocated based upon population by insular area.  A reserve of $13,750,000 has been set aside as a contingency in case of any unforeseen emergencies.

Guidelines and instructions on applying for these funds have been sent to the Governors of each territory and to each FAS President. For general guidelines on how to apply for OIA TAP funding, please visit the OIA website at https://www.doi.gov/oia/financial-assistance.

For more information about the work of the Office of Insular Affairs, visit http://www.doi.gov/oia or follow @ASIIADomenech on Twitter.

The Assistant Secretary, Insular and International Affairs, and the Office of Insular Affairs 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.

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