The Subcommittee on Insular Affairs, Oceans and Wildlife - led by Del. Madeleine Z. Bordallo - has jurisdiction over legislation governing the Nation's U.S. Territories and Compacts of Free Association, as well as issues relating to fisheries management, wildlife resources, coastal barrier protection and coastal zone management, and marine sanctuaries, among other areas.


Insular Affairs

"The residents of our insular areas are stewards of some of the most beautiful and environmentally sensitive areas under the U.S. flag. It is so important that we work diligently to preserve and enhance this inheritance."  Ron de Lugo, Former Chairman of the Subcommittee on Insular and International Affairs

The United States presently maintains sovereignty over five inhabited territories that vary in population, land mass, economic power, and political development.  The Subcommittee on Insular Affairs, Oceans and Wildlife has primary jurisdiction to set federal policy for each of these territories.  Article IV, Section 3, of the United States Constitution, known as the Territorial Clause, provides Congress with power over the territories.

The Insular areas of the U.S. include the territories of American Samoa, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI), as well as the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.  The U.S. was ceded three of the five territories at the end of the Spanish-American War and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, originally, as a United Nations Trust Territory at the culmination of World War II.  The remaining territories were either acquired by the U.S. through a Deed of Cession, as was American Samoa in 1900, or through outright purchase, when U.S. Virgin Islands was purchased from Denmark in 1917.  In addition, the Committee oversees matters regarding the Compact relationship between the U.S. and the "Freely Associated States" of Palau, the Marshall Islands, and the Federated States of Micronesia.

Under Congress' authority, these territories have been able to exercise limited self government.  Like the States, each territory elects its own head-of-state (governor) and legislators who serve in either a unicameral or a bicameral legislative body.  In general, federal law applies to all the territories, and local legislative bodies are responsible for laws that have local application.  Except for the CNMI, Congress has authorized elected representation from each territory in the U.S. House of Representatives - providing representatives the opportunity to participate in shaping the federal policy that impacts their home territories.

Today, after more than a century under the American flag and as a part of the American family, U.S. territories continue to struggle with a multitude of issues.  From working to protect their indigenous cultures and languages, to tackling federal policies that impact their economic, social, and political development - it is clear that these regions are challenged with a multitude of issues that inhibit their full political, economic, and cultural development.

Further, for colonized cultures there is a natural aspiration for political advancement through self-determination.  The Committee strives to consider issues of self-determination that are constitutionally sound, and provide the territories with a clear direction for achieving political status consistent with the U.S. Constitution.  The territories already contribute economically, socially, and militarily to the American fabric - and it is only fitting that we work to help meet the challenges they face and assist in their continued well-being.  They are, after all, our fellow American citizens.


Oceans and Wildlife

"The least movement is of importance to all nature. The entire ocean is affected by a pebble." Blaise Pascal

The Subcommittee on Insular Affairs, Oceans and Wildlife seeks to ensure the long-term protection and responsible use of our nation's marine and terrestrial wildlife resources, as well as the environmental health of our coasts and oceans.

With jurisdiction over programs administered by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Subcommittee serves as congressional steward of 547 national wildlife refuges, 70 federal fish hatcheries, 13,000 miles of coastline and 3.4 million square nautical miles of ocean.

Recognizing that our wildlife and oceans are national resources and treasures that must be protected from overexploitation, as well as pollution and human encroachment, the Subcommittee champions the development and implementation of conservation programs designed to sustain these creatures. These include corals threatened by the warming and acidification of seas, as well as endangered or threatened species, such as the polar bear, gray wolf, and right whale.

The Subcommittee is committed to the continued oversight and protection of threatened and endangered plants and animals - icons of our national heritage - in an effort to ensure that these precious creatures survive for future generations to experience. The Subcommittee is also involved in many international conservation efforts to protect migratory birds, elephants, and tigers, and champions efforts to stop illegal trade of threatened and endangered wildlife 

Congresswoman Madeleine Z. Bordallo became the first woman to represent Guam in the U.S. House of Representatives in 2003. Ms. Bordallo brings to Congress over 40 years of public service experience in the executive and legislative branches of the Government of Guam and numerous non-governmental organizations. The 110th Congress is Ms. Bordallo's third term.

As Chairwoman of the Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife and Oceans of the House Committee on Natural Resources, Congresswoman Bordallo seeks to promote sustainable fisheries, help recover endangered species, improve the health of coastal marine ecosystems, and meet the needs of coastal communities across the United States.

On the Natural Resources Committee, Congresswoman Bordallo also has a seat on the Subcommittee on Insular Affairs, which has jurisdiction over issues affecting the U.S. insular areas. She is also a member of the House Committee on Armed Services, where she is a member of the Subcommittee on Readiness and the Subcommittee on Seapower and Expeditionary Forces.

Congresswoman Bordallo, who is a resident of Tamuning, Guam, was born in Minnesota. She graduated from George Washington High School in Mangilao, Guam, in 1951, and attended St. Mary's College in South Bend, Indiana from 1951-1952, and the College of St. Catherine in St. Paul, Minnesota from 1952-1953, studying music with an emphasis in voice. That summer, she married Ricardo J. "Ricky" Bordallo. They have a daughter, Deborah, and a granddaughter, Nicole.