The Trump Administration’s review of federal funding as listed by the Office of Management and Budget’s spreadsheet of programs reportedly has 2,600 items, including $62.2 billion in highway planning and construction and $8.4 billion in federal transit grants.
Electric vehicle charging grants are not listed, but according to the White House site, a statement by President Donald Trump (item e in the Jan. 20 Executive Order) related to energy said “the electric vehicle mandate” will be eliminated.
James C. Moylan, Guam’s delegate to Congress; wrote to Vincent P. Arriola, director of the Guam Department of Works, noting that the appropriation of $100 million for further Defense Access Road work “and other military construction projects outlined in [the fiscal 2025 National Defense Authorization Act] should be up for discussion and a vote in the House of Representatives later this month (or at least tentatively).”
Moylan said in the Feb. 3 letter released Feb. 4 that the scope of the approved project plan … along with road repairs, and other infrastructure priorities would also be included. The total cost of $241.8 million would be allocated in future NDAA’s, he said.
Guam’s first Defense Access Road was the expansion of Rte. 3 in Dededo, leading to Marine Corps Base Camp Blaz. Black Construction Corp. completed the upgrade to Route 3 in July 2020, at a final cost of $42.57 million. The upgrade widened the arterial thoroughfare from two lanes to four for about three miles and improved the intersections.
Rte. 3 is attracting commercial and residential development, including the now-delayed Northgate Market Place. See mbjguam.com: Route 3 development slow but sure
Other plans for Guam include a Divert Access Road to ensure munitions and other delivery to and between military properties.
In related news, on Jan. 31, the Norwegian People’s Aid “started terminating activity in three countries (Palau, Iraq and Tajikstan) on three different U.S. grants set to expire during the announced U.S. review of foreign aid. Amongst other measures, notification of termination of certain contracts is being issued,” according to a Feb. 2 post.
“Affected staff will receive salary and benefits in the termination period according to their contracts. We want to emphasize that this is a decision particular to the situation where funding expires before the review period is concluded. Other projects in these countries will continue, until any other notice is given,” the post said.
“We are in active contact with U.S authorities but are still awaiting more information on the further process, the NPA said.
According to Journal files the NPA’s work in Palau since 2016 largely focuses on clearing land of remnants of World War II, including “projectiles, mortars, rockets, anti-aircraft ammunition, grenades, aircraft bombs, sea mines, beach mines, and torpedoes,” funded recently through a U.S. Department of State, Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement grant.
Work took place in Peliliu according to Journal files — the site of a renovated U.S. airfield rehabilitated in 2023 and 2024 by a Marine Corps Engineer detachment to accommodate large, fixed-wing aircraft such as the KC-130J — and elsewhere.
MilCon awards include an $11.37 million Lockheed Martin Space Mission Systems award on Jan. 30, CHamoru Standard Time of a firm-fixed-price contract for the MARK IV-B weather program to provide “real-time, high resolution meteorological satellite data to users,” which include Andersen Air Force Base, to be completed by Jan. 31, 2032. L3Harris Technologies Inc. was awarded a $65.62 million contract modification to a previously awarded contract for the “Space Surveillance Telescope Option Year Six sustainment, Space Fence sustainment, Ground-Based Electro-Optical Surveillance Option Year Six sustainment, and Agile Portfolio Engineering Option Year 6 sustainment,” the same date with locations including Kwajalein Atoll and Diego Garcia.
In Guam funding news, the Guam Department of Public Health and Social Services, with the Division of Public Welfare, has been awarded $750,000 in the first wave of funding of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Implementation Center grant.
The funding will support technical assistance and funding for critical use cases, such as implementing Electronic Case Records and enhancing immunization data sharing between Public Health Agencies and Private Health Providers via a Health Information Exchange. mbj