WASHINGTON, D.C. – Just before the holidays congress passed the annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). In this roughly $850- billion dollar bill, it includes a five percent pay raise for members of the military, expands military partnerships in Europe and the Indo Pacific, as well as money for structural improvements at several Defense Department facilities, including Guam.
“Overall this means a budget of $3.2 billion dollars for a small island in the middle of the pacific with not a large population at all,” said Guam Delegate Jim Moylan (R- GUAM).
Moylan says part of the NDAA will go towards construction projects at Andersen Air Force Base, Joint Region Marianas and Naval Base Guam. Moylan adds he was also able to increase funding for Guam’s missile defense system to make sure Guam is prepared for various threats including ballistic, hypersonic and cruise missile threats.
“360 degree Missile Defense Act for the protection of the island to secure our island from the missiles we see or threat from the Chinese Communist Party,” said Moylan.
Including threats from other adversaries like North Korea. That’s not all in the NDAA for Guam, the NDAA also includes hundreds of millions for military housing.
“We have additional troops marines, army, coming on over, we need that housing to be built for them by the Department of Defense,” said Moylan. “We have a shortage of housing on Guam which increases the housing prices for residents on Guam so this should eliminate some of that for us.”
Moylan said he was able to reauthorize and extend the H-2B work visa program. It allows foreigners to fill temporary non-agriculture jobs, like construction jobs.
“For all this money coming in we need the skilled labor to do it,” said Moylan. “The total of the workforce that will be coming from the Philippines goes to ten thousand employees for the military buildup for the protection of the nation. With these H2B workers, what will they be doing? They will be shopping at our stores, they’re going to be visiting our restaurants, they will be circulating the money in our economy. They’re bringing money home of course but they are also going to be buying their necessities so it’s helpful for our island to build our economy it’s the surge that we really need and for the defense of our nation as well.”
One thing that is not included in the NDAA Moylan is disappointed about: the an amendment to include the people of Guam in the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA) coverage. RECA provides help to people who lived downwind of above ground atomic weapons tests, known as “downwinders”, to file for compensation under RECA. Moylan has advocated that the people in Guam should be included in RECA’s coverage. Although it’s not in this NDAA, he believes he can get it done one way or another.
“At least the RECA measure has never gone this far in many years that’s been attempted to so we are still confident we can move that forward,” said Moylan.
