Rectify: Feds Still Arent Fully Compensating Guam For Compact Impact HAGÅTÑA, Guam (Pacific Daily News, March 11, 2014) — The federal government has never fully delivered on its promises to Guam and other U.S. locations affected by migrants from compact of free association countries. Reimbursement for compact-impact costs have been, and continue to be, a fraction of what they should be. Guam is now home to 32.5 percent of the 56,000 people from the Federated States of Micronesia, Palau and the Marshall Islands who relocated to the United States, according to the Government Accountability Office. But while Guam is getting more regional migrants, the Obama administration hasnt increased the annual compact-impact funding for the island. The Presidents proposed fiscal 2015 budget, for example, would still leave Guam with the same $16.8 million funding for regional migrants—which already falls far short. GovGuam estimates it spends $90 million on services to regional migrants. Guam welcomes the migrants who are here seeking better education, better jobs and a better life for their families. But the federal governments refusal to provide full reimbursement strains our islands services and infrastructure. As a result, our schools are overcrowded. The prison is packed. Health and housing programs are stretched too far and too thin. The hospital struggles with too few rooms and too many unpaid bills. Its wrong for the United States to fail to live up to its promises to provide adequate compensation for compact-impact costs. This failure strengthens the perception that Uncle Sam treats Guam and other territories more like colonies than a part of the nation, and its people as second-class citizens. Gov. Eddie Calvo and Guam Delegate Madeleine Bordallo must press President Obama and Congress to finally fix this disparity. They should work with representatives of the other U.S. jurisdictions affected by the compacts to present a stronger case to the federal government.
Posted on: Tue, 11 Mar 2014 06:02:55 +0000
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