by Mindy Aguon

Guam - It's official: war reparations have failed yet again. The U.S. Senate passed the bill with unanimous consent after removing Title 17, the compromise version of the Guam World War II Loyalty Recognition Act. The House accepted the Senate's amendment over the objections of Guam Congresswoman Madeleine Bordallo.

The Senate's concerns dealt with the cost of the war reparations, which would have been authorized at $100 million as well as the funding source to pay that. Bordallo issued a statement today expressing her deep disappointment that a small minority of senators held up the entire Defense Authorization Act due to their objections over Guam war claims.

The delegate wrote, "Going forward, I received a commitment from Congressman Buck McKeon, incoming Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, to ensure that the compromise version of Guam war claims is attached to next year's House-passed defense authorization bill...I am hopeful that under normal legislative procedure in the Senate, we can finally overcome these obstacles in the Senate and bring closure to this matter."