WATCH: Change: MSN’s clarion call for Adelup


Congressman Michael San Nicolas said that while it is “more and more self evident” change is needed at Adelup, he won’t announce his run for governor until it is clear his agenda in Washington won’t take a hit from such an announcement.

“Once that happens, things turn out differently for the things you’re trying to push congressionally,” Mr. San Nicolas told Kandit in an exclusive Thursday evening interview. “And we still have things we’re pushing congressionally. As much as in a campaign you don’t want to take voters for granted, I also have a duty to serve them to the best of my ability with the responsibility they already gave me. Even though declaring something now would be advantageous to a certain extent politically and for campaign purposes, our elections and our campaigns never come before the best interests of the people of Guam. And so I really cannot make any declarations until I feel satisfied that the items I still have in motion at this point are going to be set on a trajectory that such an announcement won’t cause it to be derailed or delayed in a fashion that’s going to harm the very people I’m supposed to be serving in that capacity.

What are these issues and projects on his agenda? Mr. San Nicolas, over the three short years he has been Guam’s delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives, has resolved decades-long problems from war claims to the earned income credit reimbursement that no one ever thought would happen. And that’s not to mention all the issues in between (ex: Medicaid parity, missile defense system, H2B labor authorization on civilian projects, tripling of highway funding, etc.) on top of the billions in funding he secured for Guam during the pandemic that secured our survival.

Among the meatier matters remaining on his agenda are Supplemental Security Income for Guam, the island’s continued inclusion in the Build Back Better bill (if it passes), expansion of the Community Based Outpatient Clinic for veterans, a One Stop Service Center for veterans, territorial representation in the U.S. Senate, and the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act.

Other matters his office discussed include legislation addressing Agent Orange exposure for veterans serving during that time, cigarette tax enforcement legislation for ATF to have jurisdiction to enforce cigarette tax collections, the National Heritage Area bill, clarifying the H2B situation, and getting locally-owned businesses to qualify as native-owned contractors. 

Announcing his run for governor will trigger his time as a lame duck in the Congress; a designation that may water down his ability to get these issues past a certain point. That ‘point’ is the key part along the trajectory of which he speaks.

“When this whole conversation about Adelup first started, remember when I said, ‘We’re going to wait and see. We’re going to see how things unfold,’?” Mr. San Nicolas asked in our interview. “And it keeps layering up in a manner that makes that need for change so compelling.”


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