How A Territorial Delegate Shapes National Policy From The Northern Mariana Islands

Ever wondered how a member of Congress can shape national policy without casting a floor vote? We sit down with Representative Kimberlyn King Hines, the delegate from the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, to explore the real power centers in Washington: committees, markups, and the relationships that decide which ideas move and which ones stall. From drafting legislation to negotiating amendments, she shows how influence is built long before a bill reaches the House floor—and why that matters for communities far from the mainland.

We also pull back the curtain on the Marianas themselves—a remote U.S. territory that many Americans can’t find on a map, yet one with deep cultural roots and strategic significance. Kimberlyn shares that her first months included a lot of educating colleagues on pronunciation and geography, then quickly shifted to policies that fit island realities. We discuss the islands’ push for long-term economic sustainability, where transportation costs and labor shortages shape every decision. When a federal shutdown hits, the shock is immediate: nutrition assistance evaporates, millions stop circulating in the local economy, and small businesses struggle, creating a cascade that threatens essential services.

What stands out most is the Marianas’ cultural compass: seeking the good and caring for one another. That ethic has carried the islands through record typhoons and the pandemic, and it guides Kimberlyn’s approach to governance, centering dignity, practicality, and community resilience. By the end, you’ll see how representation at the edges of the American map tests the strength of our promises—and how thoughtful policy design can bridge the distance between Capitol Hill and the Pacific.

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Chapters

• 1:33 Introducing Delegate King Hines
• 1:52 What A Territorial Delegate Does
• 4:15 Educating Congress About The Marianas
• 5:21 Economic Crisis And Policy Priorities
• 7:32 Culture Of Enakamolik And Community
• 9:12 Shutdown’s Cascading Impact On CNMI
• 10:56 Representation Scope And Closing Thanks

Transcript

unknown: 0:47

Okay.

SPEAKER_00: 0:48

Welcome back, everyone. I am so excited to have our very first member of Congress on the podcast. We have Representative Kimberlyn King Hines with us. She is the delegate from the Northern Mariana Islands. And today we're talking about territory. So, Delegate King Hines, you serve as a representative for the Northern Mariana Islands. So that's one of the US's territories that has a vote in Congress, but not necessarily vote on the House floor. How does that shape the way you advocate for your constituents? And what do you wish more people understood about the role of territorial delegates?

SPEAKER_01: 1:29

So I think, right, that because we don't have uh as delegates or you know representatives of the territories, we we don't have the ability to vote on the floor. But we do have a lot of power to be able to shape policy through our work in committees. And that's actually where the real grind happens. You know, a lot of the work is about showing and building the relationship, right? And I liken I liken the role of any representative, not just the delegates here in Congress, is an advocate, right? An advocate for your district. And if you look at the process by which any bill is passed, everything goes to the committee, right? And so you have the ability to make amend amendments, you have the ability to introduce legislation, you have the uh, you know, uh ability to do just about anything any other member does, and then bring it out to market before they put it out to to the vote for a full to the floor for a full vote. And so that's I don't think that it that that is very it's it's it's a lot different than other members here have in terms of the role. But the one challenge that we have I think as as folks who come from the territories, and and I I think we're I think Puerto Rico is is far more advanced and and and the Virgin Island is far more advanced in terms of you know folks knowing where those areas are and what those challenges are, right? But when you're coming from the northern Mariana Islands, the biggest challenge basically is you know folks understanding basic geography or knowing how to pronounce the Marianas. I mean, you know, the first couple of months here as a member was correcting people in terms of you know, like we're not the Marianara Islands, we're not the Marina Islands, we're the Mariana Islands, and so you have folks who you know who are representatives of of these different districts who have never heard of the Mariana Islands, and and so my job is to not just to advocate, but to educate people about who we are, how the relationship was first established between the United States and the Marianas, and and how and the role that we play in in the larger American conversation. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00: 4:17

And that's honestly, this is why I chose you to be our first member of Congress, because I think you're right. There are a lot of people who know where Puerto Rico is, know where the U.S. Virgin Islands are, but do not know where the Northern Mariana Islands are. And I think that it's an incredibly important conversation. So the Northern Mariana Islands have such a unique relationship with the federal government and such a distinctive culture and community. What are some of the big issues or opportunities you're focused on right now? And what do you think the rest of the country could learn from the islands experience?

SPEAKER_01: 4:55

So that's a very interesting question. With what's the with the conversations that are happening here now in Washington, D.C. with regards to, for example, you know, what everybody's talking about with regards to President Trump's one big beautiful bill and these tax breaks to millionaires and how we're giving breaks to these millionaires while we're not funding all these different types of programs. The Barrianas right now is going through an economic crisis. And, you know, this shutdown has shown the vulnerability of our economy being so heavily reliant on the federal government. So when you've cut off food nutritional assistance program, you're not just cutting off that assistance to folks. You are literally cutting off a pipeline that is feeding these small businesses that are keeping government low. And so it's a multiplier effect. My focus is to try to build long-term sustainabilities, a long-term sustainability with regards to the economy. And that means uh that you know we have to focus on a policy that is that that revolves around economic growth. And when you're talking about economic growth in such a remote area, right, transportation is going to be an issue. Um just because you've got to fly in, you know what I mean. This is not a situation where you can just drive through, right? So, you know, transportation an issue and labor is an issue. And so those, you know, have been the long, the two long-standing challenges to be able to build our economy. And so that's the focus for me.

SPEAKER_00: 6:44

What do you want? Because again, we're talking about an island very remote. What do you want people who are listening to know about the people, the culture, and the community of the Northern Mariana Islands?

SPEAKER_01: 6:59

We are very family focused. We have a culture called enakamolik, and if you were to break down that word, ina means to look for, to search, or to shed light on, and pamoldic is to take care of or to look for good, right? So those two words together is to look for good in bad situations all the time, it's to look out for one another all the time. And so it's the culture that underlies every single person who lives in the Marianas, whether you are indigenous to the islands or whether, you know what I mean, you you are now an infland, because that's just the way of life when you're living in a remote area that is you know far from everywhere else. You have to look out for one another and take care of one another. And so a lot of these philosophical conversations that are being had in the mainland, right, those are not our issues. We are very incredibly diverse. We look out for one another, and and I think it's it's it is what has gotten us through many challenging times to include, you know, biggest, you know, like you know, like America's uh strong strongest typhoon passing through, or you know, the pandemic and being safe from the pandemic despite not having the resources, or now this economic challenge.

SPEAKER_00: 8:22

And listeners, I do want to kind of center us here. So we are currently recording this on November 5th. So there is a government shutdown still. So can I ask one more question about how the shutdown is affecting the people of the island? Because you're you're when you talk about people on the mainland, like the issues are different. How do like in general, how do federal shutdowns affect the people of the island? Because it's going to be different than you know, somebody like me in the state of Arizona on the mainland.

SPEAKER_01: 8:54

So we we do have a few federal employees that are impacted, but most of the employees that are out there are considered critical because these are folks who are working, you know, at TSA or CDP, right? And so they're working without pay, they're they're going to be impacted. But when you have a situation that's happening right where now government programs to include the nutritional assistance program that the CMMI is, you know, received a recipient of, when you have that, you know, funding stream get cut off at a time when the economy is incredibly depressed and collapsing, you're not only taking away food from people's table, you're taking out$4.2 million from circulating in an account in the economy, and you're now impacting small businesses who generate revenue for the government to continue to operate. And so it's this cascading impact, right? That is the impact that that this shutdown is having now in the CNMI. I mean, you know, um, and the job basically is to continue to advocate and to elevate these issues to to folks that the circumstances that that is happening out here is very different when you don't have another typeway.

SPEAKER_00: 10:10

And you are the only delegate in the House of Representatives for, and you called it CNMI, which is the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, correct? Correct. Okay, and you are the one delegate in Congress as a whole or just in the House?

SPEAKER_01: 10:27

Congress as a whole. So we don't have any representation in the Senate, it's just in the House.

SPEAKER_00: 10:32

Okay, thank you. Delegate King Hines, thank you so much for shedding light. Again, I'm sure that there are going to be listeners who are now looking at their phones, wondering where the Northern Mariana Islands is, which I think is such a great thing. Thank you for taking time with us to help us understand what it is like to be a territory, to be a remote island territory, and what your role in Congress is for your constituents. We greatly appreciate it.

SPEAKER_01: 11:00

Thank you.