This is a victory for Republicans. Unemployment in somoa will make the effects of the minimum wage obvious.
The next step should be to force the wage increase to go into effect before the next election, so it becomes obvious who's responsible.
Wrecking the economy through ill advised policies is a victory to nobody.
There's probably a little bit more going on here than meets the eye. The minimum wage for the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Islands was hiked in the original bill. The CNMI is traditionally a Republican area, while American Samoa has traditionally been represented by Democrats. The Democrats seem intent on conforming the CNMI labor and perhaps other laws to U.S. laws due to abuses in their dying garment industry. American Samoa also has been allowed to make its own laws in some areas. By requiring the Democrats to make anything that they want to change in the CNMI also apply to American Samoa, it might make the Democrats think twice about whether the changes really need to be made. The Democrats are on notice that further wrecking the economy of the CNMI will come at a price - unfortunately, potentially harming American Samoa.