Senators are looking to investigate what they call alarming audit findings, to include millions of dollars in questioned costs. Adelup is on the defense, saying they have “nothing to hide” from what they say is a “political attack.”

Republican lawmakers are moving to form a special investigative subcommittee to dig into what they call GovGuam's worst audit yet. The probe comes as the Fiscal Year 2024 single audit was severely delayed, missing its legal deadline by a record 298 days.

The audit identified 53 findings, including $22.6 million in questioned costs, and five major federal programs where auditors could not even issue an opinion due to missing or insufficient documentation.

Legislative Committee on Finance and Government Operations chairman Senator Chris Duenas says the public deserves answers, adding, "This is one of the worst audits unfortunately, and by that, we have to look at the $22 million that’s recognized in the disclaimer and we need to make sure what happened and why the documents are not auditable or no documents at all because that’s very concerning to the people of Guam and could also affect us. These are federal funds we are talking about. What happens is if we lose federal funds, we have to appropriate that locally if we want to continue federal programs under those operations."

The proposed subcommittee would have subpoena power, a budget of up to $150,000, and 120 days to complete its investigation. But the Governor’s Office is pushing back, accusing lawmakers of politicizing the audit.

They say the audit points to documentation gaps, internal control weaknesses and compliance issues that they are already working on. Adelup says “the audit does not allege fraud, corruption, or misuse of funds. It also does not support the story republican legislators are trying to sell.”

They also argue lawmakers are ignoring their own role, highlighting an additional $82 million in legislative appropriations without matching revenue, a practice auditors criticized.

Adelup adds if the Guam Legislature is genuinely interested in investigating waste, fraud and abuse, they should address the “thousands of dollars worth of legislative furniture” that were recently illegally dumped at Fort Apugan.

In the meantime, as both sides trade blame, the investigation could bring sworn testimony, public hearings, and potentially prosecution.

Senator Duenas continued, "I also think if there is found to be any activities that have broken the law, that this legislature will send that forward to the attorney general for possible prosecution."