HAGÅTÑA (The Guam Daily Post) — U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland took time over the weekend to gain an understanding of the “most pressing issues” surrounding the Guam people, including Compact of Free Association, or COFA, negotiations.
She met with Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero and Lt. Gov. Joshua Tenorio on Saturday as part of a weeklong visit to the Pacific islands, the governor’s office said in a news release issued after the meeting.
In the release, the governor said the visits “serve as valuable opportunities for our federal partners to gain an understanding of our most pressing issues. From addressing national security to Compact of Free Association negotiations, housing and workforce development and invasive species, our administration is requesting greater support and advocacy in all these areas to increase the quality of life for the people of Guam.”
The governor made it a point to stress to Haaland the need for Guam to receive “adequate reimbursement for compact impact expenses” as well as expressed support of the Compact Impact Fairness Act, or CIFA, the governor’s office said in the release.
“We will continue to push for this as Congress begins the task of reviewing and amending the renegotiated compacts that Interior and State have put together. Additionally, we are in support of the Compact Impact Fairness Act and its intent to allow non-U.S. COFA citizens the same social benefits as those in the respective places of residents,” the governor said in the release.
Leon Guerrero said she explained to Haaland that “CIFA should not replace the $30 million in compact funds received by the COFA-impacted U.S. territories, as these funds are spent separate from the social benefits. I have also asked that she support Del. (James) Moylan’s amendment to extend $16 million for the next year.”
According to the release, Haaland was accompanied by Assistant Secretary for Insular and International Affairs Carmen G. Cantor and Deputy Assistant to the President and Asian American and Pacific Islander Senior Liaison Erika L. Moritsugu.
U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland, center, meets with Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero, right, and Lt. Gov. Joshua Tenorio on Saturday, July 22, 2023, as part of a weeklong visit to the Pacific Islands.
