HAGÅTÑA, Guam — Congressman James Moylan welcomed members of the U.S. House Committee on Education and Workforce to Guam for a congressional delegation visit focused on strengthening education, expanding workforce opportunities and ensuring the island’s priorities are represented in federal policymaking, his office announced Tuesday.
The nine-member delegation included committee Chairman Tim Walberg of Michigan, along with Reps. Joe Wilson of South Carolina, Burgess Owens of Utah, Michael Rulli of Ohio, Bob Onder of Missouri, Mark Harris of North Carolina, John Mannion of New York, Adelita Grijalva of Arizona and Moylan.
The visit included two stakeholder roundtable discussions bringing together leaders from Guam’s education community, workforce agencies, labor organizations, the private sector and local government.
“Too often, decisions that affect Guam are made thousands of miles away without the benefit of hearing directly from our local community,” Moylan said, “and while I make it a point to bring Guam’s story to Washington in every conversation, there is no substitute for seeing our island firsthand and hearing directly from our people.”
Walberg said federal policies should account for the island’s unique needs as a U.S. territory. “What you’ve made very clear is that Guam is a unique entity because you’re an island, you’re a territory, you’re unto yourself in many ways, but you’re also part of the United States, and there ought to be some flexibility in that, so we’ll keep working at that,” he said.
The education roundtable covered classroom infrastructure, teacher recruitment and retention, student achievement and collaboration between local institutions and the federal government, according to the release. Walberg requested additional information identifying areas where Guam could benefit from increased flexibility in federal education funding. Following discussions on Guam’s aging school facilities, Grijalva requested information on the island’s infrastructure needs, including estimated funding requirements and proposals aimed at creating a more unified educational system.
The workforce roundtable focused on preparing Guam’s workforce for a changing economy and creating opportunities beyond defense-related industries, with participants emphasizing workforce training, apprenticeship programs and career and technical education. Discussions also highlighted support for key federal initiatives including the H-2B program and the Guam-CNMI Visa Waiver Program, both of which carry direct implications for the CNMI’s labor supply and tourism economy.
“This visit reaffirmed what we’ve always known: Guam’s challenges are unique, but so are our opportunities,” Moylan said, adding that he looks forward to turning the conversations into action.
