Federal policies under the Trump presidency can be hard to predict but Guam must take advantage of any opportunity to advocate better deals for the island, Guam Delegate Madeleine Bordallo said on Monday.
“There are a lot of unknowns with the election of Donald Trump as our President but we must be prepared for quick legislative action,”
“We may have a chance to fix the Medicaid cliff to improve our federal match and provide greater flexibility to the territory,” the Guam delegate said. “If we pursue tax reform then we will be ready to offer proposals that would provide a federal cover over for EITC payments which is included in legislation that I co-sponsored with Congresswoman (Stacey) Plaskett of the Virgin Islands.”
Bordallo, who is now on her eighth-term in Congress, considers the passage of the war reparation bill one of her biggest accomplishments.
President Obama signed the World War II Loyalty Recognition Act before leaving office. “This was a hard fought process that started with my predecessors. I must recognize the late Congressman Won Pat, the late Congressman Blas and Congressman Robert Underwood who all fought the good fight before me,” Bordallo said.
“Each one of them paved the way to gain this recognition that the people of Guam so rightly deserve. The Guam World War II Loyalty Recognition Act honors Guam’s greatest generation and rightfully recognizes and provides monetary compensation to the survivors of the occupation of Guam during World War II,” she added. “Our war survivors have waited long enough and they have now been recognized for their sacrifices and we look forward to the compensation to come for the hardships they endured.”
She acknowledged, however, that there are many other issues that remain to be addressed. One of which is the H-2B crisis that threaten to paralyze the construction and healthcare industries on Guam, which rely on foreign workers to fill jobs in these sectors.
Read the full text of Bordallo's speech here.