BY PAULY SUBA
Journal Staff
The Guam Legislature adjourned a special session on Wednesday, Sept. 10 without taking action on Gov. Lourdes A. Leon Guerrero’s compromise budget proposal, prompting sharp criticism from the administration and a clash among senators over funding for the Guam Memorial Hospital.
Senator Christopher Dueñas, who chairs the legislature’s budget discussions, told colleagues the governor’s submission included more than changes to the business privilege tax.
“Colleagues, for seven years the people of Guam have been told the same story. Keep the business privilege tax at 5% and Guam Memorial Hospital will be saved,” Dueñas said. “Seven years of record collections, seven years of record-breaking budgets, $2 billion in federal dollars, and yet GMH is in worse condition today than it was before. Now, in our final year, the governor once again says keep it at 5%, and this time it will work. Let’s be honest, it hasn’t worked in seven years, and it will not work now.”
Dueñas said the bill contained “sweeping policy changes, crammed into a budget with no public input,” including provisions that would expand executive authority over education funding, procurement and health insurance contracts. “The governor’s transmittal is not a budget. It’s a power grab,” he said.
Senator Christopher Barnett raised a point of order, arguing the body should allow full debate on the bill. “We have the employees of the Guam Memorial Hospital here, Mr. speaker, and they’re watching this session very closely,” Barnett said. “It’s a little rich to talk about disingenuous and things being crammed into a budget bill, because that’s exactly why we’re here this morning.”
Despite the dispute, Dueñas moved to adjourn the session, a motion supported by speaker Frank Blas Jr. Eight Republican senators voted in favor, while three Democratic senators opposed. Three other senators were absent.
Moments later, the governor’s office issued a statement condemning the legislature’s decision.
“Instead of working with me to keep GMH’s doors open and invest in the care our families need, the republican majority chose the wealthiest few over the rest of Guam,” Leon Guerrero said. “They would rather protect special interests than put people first. That is not leadership, that is abandonment.”
Leon Guerrero said her proposal would have balanced the budget while delivering urgently needed funds to GMH. “Health care is not a partisan issue. It is about saving lives. Our families cannot afford gridlock, delay, or political games, not when GMH needs help today,” she said.
Leon Guerrero said, “I will not stop pressing for a responsible solution that funds our hospital, supports our schools, and strengthens our economy. It is working families, our nurses, teachers, small business owners, and parents, who need us to stand up for them.”
The legislature will reconvene Friday, Sept. 12, to hold a public hearing on two separate bills submitted by the governor during the first special session. One measure would expand executive powers to respond more quickly to emergencies, while the other would remove legal barriers to contracting for federally funded infrastructure in Mangilao for a new public hospital and residents in the surrounding area.
Lawmakers must also decide whether to override the governor’s veto of the FY2026 budget bill they passed on Aug. 22. mbj
