WASHINGTON, D.C. — Guam Lt. Governor Josh Tenorio met with multiple members of Congress and senior staff during a recent trip to Washington to press Guam priorities that included military-related initiatives, broadband funding flexibility, health infrastructure, and concerns tied to deep-sea mining and the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act.
Tenorio met with Guam Del. James Moylan to discuss military initiatives, advocacy under RECA, and concerns related to proposed deep-sea mining activity in the Pacific. Moylan “reaffirmed his commitment” to authorizations and appropriations tied to infrastructure, environmental, and public health needs, while Tenorio emphasized recognition for affected communities under federal policy.
Tenorio also met with Al Davis Saab, a policy adviser to Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Roger Wicker, on Guam’s Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment allocation and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s pause on certain BEAD activities. The Governor’s office said Wicker plans an amendment aimed at ensuring Guam and other states and territories can fully utilize BEAD allocations, including for national security and public safety projects. Tenorio said BEAD represents “more than $120 million” and described it as an opportunity for digital modernization, cyber resilience, and readiness.
In a meeting with Rep. Jill Tokuda of Hawai‘i, Tenorio raised shared regional concerns about critical mineral extraction in the Pacific and the need for federal funding to plan and build a new hospital in Guam, calling civilian health care infrastructure part of national security and emergency preparedness given Guam’s strategic role and military presence.
Tenorio also met with CNMI Del. Kimberlyn King-Hinds on shared issues including workforce stability through the H-2B program, equitable broadband support, and BOEM’s deep-sea mining information request. The statement said BOEM later extended the public comment deadline on a proposal involving waters near the CNMI by 30 days, setting a new deadline of Jan. 12, 2026.
The trip included a meeting with Rep. George Whitesides of California, where Tenorio discussed Guam civilian infrastructure needs, housing affordability, deep-sea mining concerns, RECA eligibility, and nuclear legacy issues tied to testing in the Marshall Islands. Tenorio and Whitesides also discussed aviation and aerospace opportunities and the NASA Guam remote station, which provides communications coverage to the International Space Station, the Governor’s office said.
