"one of the things that I've campaigned on is restoring Annex VI. We're going to need every single person in this room to join in on that ask,"
Work to restore the CNMI's Annex VI exemption.
Occurrences
The NDAA conference draft finally corrects this and opens the door for future maritime work, contractor support, and investment tied to Defense Department needs.
Evidence
"Congresswoman Kimberlyn King-Hinds has formally called on the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) to reinstate Annex VI of the U.S.-China Air Transport Agreement..." and "I urge Secretary Duffy and the DOT to restore compliance with Annex VI and reinstate unrestricted scheduled air service between China and the CNMI."
The Commonwealth Ports Authority board unanimously voted to rescind its application to reinstate Annex VI, and the article says the application had seen no action at DOT; the rescindment was tied to ongoing Section 902 negotiations, with Delegate Kimberlyn King-Hinds in agreement.
The House hearing record cites Rep. Kimberlyn King-Hinds' February 9, 2025 press release urging DOT to reinstate Annex VI of the U.S.-China Air Transport Agreement, showing concrete congressional advocacy on the issue.
The Commonwealth Ports Authority rescinded its application to reinstate Annex VI after determining the pending request was interfering with ongoing Section 902 negotiations. The article says the DOT application had remained pending and that no action had been taken before the withdrawal.
The House hearing record cites King-Hinds' February 2025 press release urging the Department of Transportation to reinstate Annex VI, showing the issue reached an official congressional record.
King-Hinds publicly called on the Department of Transportation to reinstate Annex VI for the CNMI, which is direct campaign-style advocacy toward the stated goal.
Assessments
King-Hinds made a serious official effort during her current federal term by publicly urging the Department of Transportation to reinstate Annex VI and getting the issue into the congressional record in early 2025. But the available evidence does not show restoration of the CNMI exemption; the clearest later development is that the Commonwealth Ports Authority rescinded the reinstatement application in April 2026 after DOT had taken no action. Under the rubric, substantial effort without the promised policy result counts as never, with an effort badge.
The promise was framed as an effort commitment: to work to restore the CNMI's Annex VI exemption, not necessarily to secure final DOT reinstatement. In federal office, King-Hinds formally urged the Department of Transportation to reinstate Annex VI and the effort was documented in a congressional hearing record. Later reporting indicates the exemption was not restored and the application was rescinded, so she did not achieve the underlying policy result. But the specific campaign promise to work toward restoration was fulfilled through concrete federal advocacy during her current term.
The evidence shows King-Hinds took a concrete federal advocacy step by urging the Department of Transportation to reinstate Annex VI for CNMI air service, which qualifies as a serious effort toward the promise. However, the record provided does not show that DOT actually restored the Annex VI exemption or that unrestricted scheduled air service between China and the CNMI was reinstated. Because the promised outcome was to work to restore the exemption and the available evidence supports effort but not completed restoration, this should be scored as not delivered with an effort badge.
King-Hinds made a concrete attempt by formally urging DOT in February 2025 to reinstate Annex VI and later continued advocating for CNMI air-service restoration. However, available evidence through April 28, 2026 shows continued calls for federal action rather than confirmation that DOT restored the Annex VI exemption or unrestricted scheduled air service between China and the CNMI. Because the promised outcome has not been shown to have occurred, this is not delivered, but the effort badge is warranted.