Action At Last: Congress Takes First Step To Fund Guam Buildup
By Jeff Marchesseault - Guam News Factor
GUAM - Local media reports broke news today that the House Armed Services Committee had unanimously approved a $550.4 billion 2010 National Defense Authorization Act for submission to the full House.
By virtue of its sheer inclusiveness, the massive defense-spending plan includes hundreds of millions of dollars portending the relocation of 8,000 U.S. Marines from Okinawa to Guam and includes some adjustments in spending levels on island.
According to today's Pacific Daily News, the committee-approved bill allocates $446 million for the construction of a new Naval Hospital on Guam. That's up from an earlier version of the bill that had allotted $259 million for the same project. However, the revised legislation also reduces Apra Harbor Wharves improvement from an initial $167 million to $127 million.
By today's estimates, the Marine migration at the heart of Guam's five-to-seven-year buildup is projected to cost over $10 billion. The House Committee's unanimous 61-0 decision this week to approve partial Guam funding for consideration by both full houses of Congress is a crucial ice-breaker which at long last demonstrates that our nation's lawmakers are paying attention to Guam and the critical role the island plays defending our nation in the midst of shifting global security objectives.
But, as Guam News Factor has repeatedly commented, the pressure and the focus is now squarely on Congress to make the timely funding decisions that will bridge the transition from Okinawa to Guam over a five-to-seven-year buildup that only just begins next year. And those billions in allotments must include everything from military housing for new troops and their families to civilian infrastructure, sustainable development plans, and social programs that will help mitigate the impact on Guam society as the island population swells to nearly a quarter million during the rapid development.
This story contains contributions from John Dela Rosa.
By Jeff Marchesseault - Guam News Factor
GUAM - Local media reports broke news today that the House Armed Services Committee had unanimously approved a $550.4 billion 2010 National Defense Authorization Act for submission to the full House.
By virtue of its sheer inclusiveness, the massive defense-spending plan includes hundreds of millions of dollars portending the relocation of 8,000 U.S. Marines from Okinawa to Guam and includes some adjustments in spending levels on island.
According to today's Pacific Daily News, the committee-approved bill allocates $446 million for the construction of a new Naval Hospital on Guam. That's up from an earlier version of the bill that had allotted $259 million for the same project. However, the revised legislation also reduces Apra Harbor Wharves improvement from an initial $167 million to $127 million.
By today's estimates, the Marine migration at the heart of Guam's five-to-seven-year buildup is projected to cost over $10 billion. The House Committee's unanimous 61-0 decision this week to approve partial Guam funding for consideration by both full houses of Congress is a crucial ice-breaker which at long last demonstrates that our nation's lawmakers are paying attention to Guam and the critical role the island plays defending our nation in the midst of shifting global security objectives.
But, as Guam News Factor has repeatedly commented, the pressure and the focus is now squarely on Congress to make the timely funding decisions that will bridge the transition from Okinawa to Guam over a five-to-seven-year buildup that only just begins next year. And those billions in allotments must include everything from military housing for new troops and their families to civilian infrastructure, sustainable development plans, and social programs that will help mitigate the impact on Guam society as the island population swells to nearly a quarter million during the rapid development.
This story contains contributions from John Dela Rosa.
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