'It's not a junket; it's an investment ': Governor says San Francisco talks expected to yield $5.1B for Guam
By Mar-Vic Cagurangan
Guam has asked the Department of War for a total of $5.1 billion to cover the costs of the territory’s infrastructure upgrades to accommodate the military expansion on island, Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero said, returning from her trip to San Francisco, where her delegation presented the funding request to federal agencies.
Smarting from criticisms against the administration's 30-member delegation to San Francisco, the governor said any federal assistance that may flow into Guam could grow to approximately 11.7 billion over the years.
“It is not a junket. To me, it is an investment,” the governor said, lashing back at her critics. “The very narrow-minded people don't see that.”
She said the Department of War footed the bulk of the bill for the trip, which was estimated at between $175,000 and $180,000.
“My trip was paid out of local monies, but it'll get reimbursed by the Department of War,” Leon Guerrero said. “Even if we get $10 million $15 million or $20 million from that meeting, it's worth it.”
Public Auditor Benjamin Cruz earlier questioned the need for Guam to send a large delegation to San Francisco instead of holding the meeting on island.
“The guy goes out and speaks without information,” the governor said of Cruz.
She said the meeting was initiated by the Department of War.
“They've been planning this because they felt that in order for us to get heard they needed to make sure federal agencies also were present,” the governor said in an interview with the Pacific Island Times.
Leon Guerrero said the Department of War’s Office of Defense Liaison will provide an executive summary of the meeting, along with a federal package proposal, which she expects to be tackled at the Economic Adjustment Committee and eventually proposed in the U.S. Congress.
In an earlier press release, the governor's office said the government of Guam is projected to incur $11.7 billion in infrastructure and service costs—or more than $415 million a year—by 2034, resulting from the rapidly expanding military footprint on island.
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While the military presence on Guam is projected to double in 10 years—from 10,000 in 2024 to 20,000 in 2033—the Department of War has yet to determine the infrastructure capacity it needs to support the population surge, which has hindered its ability to make adequate plans, according to the Government Accountability Office.
The department will beef up its capability on Guam with a missile defense system that will bring Army personnel to the island.
Leon Guerrero said Cabinet members made the case for the impact of military expansion on healthcare, roads, utilities, the port authority, the airport, labor and housing.
“I thought we presented our case very well,” the governor said. “We actually drilled, like two or three times, before we made our presentation because we regarded this as a very significant, important meeting where they are going to be hearing from us for the first time about the military buildup and the military impact on it.”
Responding to residents’ criticisms of the trip, the governor said: “I'm sorry that the critics don't understand it, but they need to understand it and not really deflect from what the great purpose is of this meeting.”
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