President Trump has signed H.R. 1365, which makes technical corrections to the Guam World War II Loyalty Recognition Act. This will pave the way for reimbursements of local funds used by the local government to send checks to war survivors, whose war reparation claims have been adjudicated
"As signed today by President Trump, H.R. 1365 authorizes Treasury to distribute funds that have been accumulating in the Guam World War II Claims Fund since 2017 to legal beneficiaries on Guam," states a press release from the Department of the Interior
The U.S. legislation, passed by the House and Senate, authorizes the U.S. Department of the Treasury to issue payments to survivors of Guam’s occupation by Imperial Japanese Forces during World War II.
“As I noted in my letters to the U.S. Congress encouraging expedited consideration of this legislation, today’s action will bring to close a dark chapter for the people of Guam,” U.S. Department of the Interior Secretary David Bernhardt said. “This is another example of the support that President Trump continues to provide for American families in the territories.”
“Interior has worked closely with the White House, Treasury, Guam Congressman Michael San Nicolas, Guam Governor Lourdes Leon Guerrero, and others in support of making these fixes and passing this legislation,” said Douglas Domenech, Interior Assistant Secretary, Insular and International Affairs. “We are pleased to see this result for the remaining survivors and their families who have been waiting for a very long time.”
Under Guam’s Organic Act, federal income taxes, known as Section 30 taxes, are derived from active members of the United States Armed Forces and pensions paid to retired civilian and military employees of the United States who reside on Guam.
Every year, these Section 30 taxes are “covered-over” or sent to the Government of Guam to support their operations, activities, and programs. The Department of the Interior’s Office of Insular Affairs (OIA), on behalf of the Federal Government, advances the Section 30 taxes to Guam each year in September.
Under the original Act, a mechanism was authorized to establish a “Guam World War II Claims Fund” at Treasury using a portion of the funds collected under Section 30 of Guam’s Organic Act. However, the Act was written in a way that did not include the necessary legal mechanism authorizing Treasury to pay adjudicated claims from the Fund to compensable victims and Guam descendants as intended.
The funds available for the Guam World War II Claims Fund are derived by calculating amounts above a 2014 base threshold established by the Act. Every September, OIA withholds the amount calculated for the Guam World War II Claims Fund from the annual Section 30 advance payment made to Guam each year.
The Republican Party of Guam issued a statement expressing "the sincerest appreciation to President Donald J. Trump, that even a during a period of global uncertainties, for prioritizing the enactment of H.R. 1365 into law and for assuring that after nearly 76 years, the recognition of Guam's Greatest Generation, will be proudly embedded in the history books. There are many men and women whose tireless work over the decades have charted the course to this very day."