Congressional candidates tackle veteran issues during HMI debate

There's just three weeks left until the November 5th general election. 

In a briefing hosted by HMI Guam, incumbent delegate James Moylan and opponent Ginger Cruz faced off inside the Micronesia Mall Monday night.

The congressional candidates answered questions important to veterans. 

“What are the main challenges facing Guam veterans in accessing VA services and how will you address these challenges,” asked Lee Webber, Navy veteran and moderator. 

James Moylan: “It’s all in the works and it’s all part of the plan. But you know what they need wherever you build these things? They need numbers. They actually have to show how this calculates in dollars and numbers is important. Our main challenge is to get folks registered at CBOC and  VHA and VBA as well. It’s very important. You cannot just file a claim. You must also register. How in the world will they know where we’re at? It is possible and that is what we will continue to do in the 119th Congress.”

Ginger Cruz: “Thirty-eight USC, read it. It says a regional office can be set up at the discretion of the secretary of Veteran Affairs. And if you read the GAO report, you know what it says? The numbers are junk. The numbers they are using now to be able to calculate how many people of Guam need to be served. The GAO, not me, says that the way they are calculating those numbers is junk. I submit to you that I am going to stop blaming the veterans for not signing up and using that as an excuse why we cannot have a regional office.”

From addressing better access to care, VA claims and more, the candidates shared why veterans should cast their votes for them. 

“What specific legislative initiatives will you prioritize to enhance veterans support and care on Guam,” asked Webber. 

Moylan: “Fortunately, I’m also a member of foreign affairs. As a new member in congress, I have three committees that i had to fight for to get but they recognized me and they got me here too. We’ve had committee hearings here on COFA. We had committee hearings in DC as well. I'm also a member of the foreign legion here. I'm a veteran. We speak together and we work really hard together and we got a lot of good things coming down the pipeline. You just don’t start from zero and start all over again.”

Cruz: “Foreign affairs. Good committee to be on. I will point out that I'm very happy that you joined it after I brought it up in the debate that we first had in front of the Guam Women’s Chamber. The second thing I will bring up is I’m very grateful that you brought out a delegation to Guam to hear all of us plea for compact impact money. I will only point out that after that delegation left, they voted against us and we did not get compact impact money and we lost $300 million that Guam really, sorely needs. Those are two things I want to clear up for the record.”

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