State Department says designations use Section 7031(c) legal authority from appropriations law

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Designations are made under the cited statutory authority (Section 7031(c)) as stated by the Department of State.

Source summary

The U.S. Department of State publicly designated Palau Senate President Hokkons Baules and former Marshall Islands mayor Anderson Jibas for involvement in significant corruption. The State Department says Baules accepted bribes to advocate for China-based interests and Jibas misappropriated funds from the U.S.-provided Bikini Resettlement Trust, harming the Kili/Bikini/Ejit community. The designations make them and their immediate family generally ineligible for entry into the United States and were made under Section 7031(c) of U.S. appropriations law.

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Latest fact check

The Department of State press release (Feb 10, 2026) explicitly states the designations are made under the FY2024 State and Foreign Operations Appropriations Act (Div. F, P.L. 118-47), carried forward by the Continuing Appropriations Act, 2026 (Div. A, P.L. 119-37) and refers to this authority as "Section 7031(c)." The statutory FY24 SFOAA (P.L. 118-47) contains the recurring Section 7031(c) visa-restriction authority, and P.L. 119-37 is the Continuing Appropriations Act for 2026; therefore the claim is accurate as stated.

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Update · Feb 11, 2026, 03:43 AMTrue
The Department of State press release (Feb 10, 2026) explicitly states the designations are made under the FY2024 State and Foreign Operations Appropriations Act (Div. F, P.L. 118-47), carried forward by the Continuing Appropriations Act, 2026 (Div. A, P.L. 119-37) and refers to this authority as "Section 7031(c)." The statutory FY24 SFOAA (P.L. 118-47) contains the recurring Section 7031(c) visa-restriction authority, and P.L. 119-37 is the Continuing Appropriations Act for 2026; therefore the claim is accurate as stated.
Update · Feb 11, 2026, 02:58 AMTrue
The State Department press release (Feb 10, 2026) states the public designations are made under Section 7031(c) of the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2024, as carried forward by the Continuing Appropriations Act, 2026. This aligns with the claim that 7031(c) designations are retained via the 2026 continuing appropriations. Primary sources include the State Department release and the enacted Continuing Appropriations Act (Public Law 119-37) text.
Original article · Feb 10, 2026
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