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Bordallo statement on war claims funding
WASHINGTON, D.C.—Delegate Madeleine Z. Bordallo (D-GU) issued the following statement yesterday, clarifying the availability of funds to pay war claims when the program filing period ends on June 20, 2018.
“I am committed to finding an alternative funding solution that will hold Guam’s treasury harmless, but I want to clarify that funding will be available to pay war claims submitted by our man’amko and war survivors when the filing period ends in June of next year. The Office of Insular Affairs clarified in May that the level of Section 30 funds collected by the federal government in 2014 was $68,603,100, and 2014 collections by the federal government is what is referred to in the law. I share the strong concerns in our community regarding the use of Section 30 funds to pay claims but this was the only way to advance this bill given House Republican budget rules and strong opposition by Senate conservatives who objected each time this bill was considered on the Senate floor.
“I do not want our man’amko to be concerned that they will not receive their claim after waiting more than 70 years. I am also working with the Treasury Department to get a definitive interpretation of Section 1703(c) of the war claims law. I hope that our local community will support my efforts and that we can address this issue with a ‘One Guam’ approach that was so critical to passing war claims legislation in the first place.” (PR)
