His critics said it would not be done. But months after engaging the federal government to start Section 902 talks, CNMI Governor Arnold Palacios has scored a major political victory: President Trump has directed his administration to come to the negotiating table.
“I am pleased to inform you that I have designated Scott J. Cameron, Senior Advisor to the Secretary exercising the delegated authorities of the Assistant Secretary of the Interior (Insular and International Affairs), as my special representative for purposes of continuing the consultation that take place between the CNMI and the Federal Government,” Mr. Trump wrote to Mr. Palacios in a letter dated April 24, but released by the governor’s office today.
“I trust that this section 902 consultation will be a vehicle for addressing the critical issues raised by the CNMI,” Mr. Trump added.
902 talks refer to consultations between the governments of the CNMI and the United States regarding issues one or both governments want from the other. The authority for these consultations come from Section 902 of the Covenant that established the relationship between the CNMI – a U.S. commonwealth and insular area – and the federal government.
The “critical issues raised by the CNMI,” as the president put it, include grants in aid of the CNMI’s fiscal and economic recovery, tourism and transportation issues, and solving the skilled labor shortage in the CNMI.
“On behalf of the people of the CNMI, I extend my utmost gratitude to President Trump for his timely and favorable response to the CNMI’s request,” Governor Palacios said.
The talks could be a vehicle for Mr. Palacios to drive an agenda aligned with the president’s newly released Fiscal Year 2026 budget priorities. At the top of those priorities is a tremendous funding increase for the military, most of which would be tailored to fighting and outsmarting Chinese aggression in this region. The governor, in an interview with Kandit Tuesday, said he is looking at these increases and would be making the pitch for increased investment into Saipan.
Mr. Trump’s direction to have his administration join at the negotiating table also appears significant, considering at least two asks by the CNMI governor that go against the grain of the new administration’s corpus: more federal funding, and easier access to foreign workers.
Who he selected as his representative at the negotiating table also appears to be significant. Mr. Cameron is a career bureaucrat who also has worked in politics for both Democrats and Republicans. According to a congressional biography posted this year, he has spent much of his career serving environmental and ecological issues, building an impressive management resume in both the private and public sectors along the way.
Whether these facts will lead to more federal money, greater economic investments, more tourists, and more workers in the CNMI remains to be seen. Governor Palacios, however, remains optimistic.
