10/02/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 10/01/2026 18:49
(Hagåtña, Guam)Congressman Moylan delivered remarks during the 2026 Midyear Senior Plenary Session of the Interagency Group on Insular Areas (IGIA), hosted by the U.S. Department of the Interior, highlighting efforts to lower the cost of living on Guam while pressing for further federal action on energy costs and other priorities impacting island families.
The September 29 virtual meeting brought together federal officials, territorial governors, and congressional representatives from Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and Puerto Rico. Moylan joined Governor Lou Leon Guerrero in representing Guam during the territorial officials presentations.
"We should not be satisfied with simply discussing our issues. We must remain committed to improving the lives of residents of the territories and delivering on the things that matter: lowering costs, improving healthcare, growing the economy, and making the territories a place where Americans can raise their families," said Congressman Moylan.
Moylan placed particular focus on Guam's high energy costs and the need for greater federal investment in the Guam Power Authority, calling for efforts to strengthen and underground Guam's power infrastructure while providing relief to ratepayers.
"We are not asking for special treatment. We are asking for the Federal Government to work together with us to address the real and immediate need to protect ratepayers and to help mitigate the price spikes that are driving up costs on our island," Moylan said.
The Congressman urged the Federal Government to assist GPA through options including joint procurement, greater access to domestic refining capacity, and expedited outstanding reimbursement requests from FEMA.
Moylan also raised several other Guam priorities, including restoring the de minimis exemption for Guam and other U.S. territories outside the U.S. Customs Zone, Supplemental Security Income parity, reauthorization of the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act, Jones Act and air cabotage relief, expanding the Guam-CNMI Visa Waiver Program to include the Philippines, childcare affordability, economic and workforce development, and stronger federal services for Guam's veterans and rural communities.
Moylan emphasized that Guam's challenges require sustained coordination between Congress, the Administration, and territorial leaders, particularly as federal policies continue to have an outsized impact on the island's economy, infrastructure, and cost of living. The Congressman concluded by emphasizing the need to turn continued federal-territorial dialogue into tangible results for the people of Guam.
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