Congressional candidates lay out strategies to get Guam listed under US radiation exposure pay program

Mary Torres Alicia Limtiaco James Moylan

By Jayvee Vallejera

Incumbent Guam Del. James Moylan leaned on his network in Congress to maintain the momentum he has forged in Washington, D.C. Former U.S. Attorney Alicia Limtiaco cited her legal background to push Guam into the center of federal decision-making. Former Sen. Mary Torres will build coalitions with a GOP-controlled House of Representatives to secure the votes needed to get Guam included in the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act.

The three candidates for Guam delegate unveiled their strategies Tuesday during a forum hosted by the Pacific Association of Radiation Survivors at the University of Guam.

The three outlined their prospective action plans to push for Guam's inclusion in RECA, a federal compensation program for people afflicted with cancer and other diseases associated with radioactive fallout from the U.S. nuclear tests during the Cold War.

PARS President Robert Celestial had said in an earlier interview that newly declassified military documents have confirmed that Guam was exposed to radiation fallout and this finding has been confirmed by the National Academy of Sciences.

Over the years, efforts to have Guam be included in RECA have failed. The last failed attempt was in 2025, when Moylan tried to have Guam’s compensation be included in the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2026. Although Guam was in the initial version of the bill, it was cut in the final version.

At Tuesday's forum, PARS asked each delegate candidate to outline their proposed strategies in Congress to make sure it finally happens.

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Moylan said he has always supported efforts to have Guam included in RECA.

During his time in the 35th  and 36th Guam Legislature, Moylan said he voted in favor of all resolutions that pushed to make that happen.

During his first term in Congress, Moylan introduced a version of RECA that included Guam, and he has been doing that each time a RECA reauthorization bill comes up, he said.

RECA, first enacted in 1990, has already been reauthorized several times.

This time, Moylan believes building a national coalition with other states and communities that were omitted from RECA could do what Guam has failed to achieve on its own.

“It's not just about Guam. There are other places that were left out. We left out New Mexico. We left out parts of Nevada. We left out Colorado. There are others. I’ve worked hard with these other folks to build a national coalition,” he said.

His next step is to introduce a bill in Congress that would include all states and communities that were omitted from RECA. “It includes all of us as a strong group of people,” he added. 

This is a different approach, he said, and could take the issue even further in Congress and hopefully get it to the finish line.

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Torres, who is challenging Moylan for the Republican nomination in the Aug. 1 primary, said Guam’s radiation survivors deserve a congressional approach that will turn PARS’ advocacy into law.

Part of her strategy is attaching the RECA bill to key measures such as a reconciliation bill or the defense budget. 

She said that building a coalition with the House majority party is crucial. “We work with the party controlling the agenda instead of introducing a bill without first building the votes needed to move it,” she said.

The Republican Party currently controls the U.S. House of Representatives.

Torres said she intends to secure Republican support for Guam’s inclusion in RECA, particularly from members of the powerful Judiciary Committee and congressional leadership, while continuing to build bipartisan support.

“I will begin the first month of my term building the coalition and the record, so that when the RECA reauthorization fight comes, Guam’s inclusion is negotiated in from the start, not requested at the end,” Torres added.

Limtiaco said her strategy rests on three pillars—crafting a legislative plan with comprehensive congressional committee reports, building strong alliances and moving the locus of control to Guam.

Limtiaco, who is running uncontested in the Democratic primary, vowed to develop a clear plan that would survive congressional scrutiny.

Congressional committee reports that can provide clear congressional intent are critical, Limtiaco said. “They can explain why Guam must be included, and give guidance to federal agencies who are part of this process,” she added.

Limtiaco said it is important for Guam to build strong coalitions and alliances in Congress and she touts her experience and commitment to this effort.

Limtiaco emphasized the need to protect the non-adversarial nature of RECA as an alternative to litigation. She said she does not want families in Guam to endure expensive litigation costs when the federal government already has evidence that justifies Guam being included under RECA. 

Limtiaco said Guam needs to assert control over federal decisions to ensure that all decisions affecting Guam will take into account the voice of the Guam community.

“We need to ensure that we shift the locus of control to Guam. We should not have here in Guam decisions that impact our families and survivors made very far away in Washington, D.C. We need to have that control here,” she said.

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