The US funding deal is good for the Pacific. But the key is what happens next

Late last week, US Congress approved Cofa funding agreements for the Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) and Palau. Photograph: Hilary Hosia/The Guardian

A dysfunctional US Congress finally got its act together and approved a $7bn funding package for three Pacific nations. After years of negotiations and more recently, months of delay by US lawmakers, Congress late Friday cleared the way for the Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia and Palau to renew the Compacts of Free Association (Cofa) agreements that fund critical services for the next two decades, and keep open a special migration pathway to the US.

In return, the American military secures exclusive access to vast north Pacific territories and the unilateral use of strategically located military facilities – a bargain for the US in these contested times.