by Nick Delgado

Guam - The disagreement over the Futenma Replacement Facility evidently has now led to $320 million chopped out of the proposed 2011 defense spending bill that otherwise would have gone to the marines relocation from Okinawa to Guam. Acting Governor Mike Cruz said, "It's a large part for some of the major needs for our people, but we've done is we've called some of our staffing the DC office to meet with the senate armed services committee senior staff to see what exactly is going on with this."

The Senate Armed Services Committee cut the funding out of the defense bill by 70% because nothing has been finalized when it comes to the Marines air base. The controversy over Futenma has gotten so bad it led to the resignation of Japan Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama, who reneged on his pre-election promise to move the Marine air base out of Okinawa. Instead, Hatoyama just last week reaffirmed the 2006 Agreement with the U.S. to keep the air base in Okinawa - at Henoko.

Senators Frank Blas, Jr. and Ben Pangelinan are disappointed with what is believed to be the senate's tactic to rush Japan on making a decision on the entire Marine relocation. The former said, "Cutting the $300 million for pressure, no, they too that $300 million and they used it for their pet projects. If Guam is just as strategically important as they says that it is, then start to live up to the commitments that they gave."

Pangelinan added, "We are concerned, of course, because that will impact the budget for the government of Guam moving forward. We have already begun to temper our optimism with regard to federal expenditure-related stuff."

Although Guam Congressional Delegate Madeleine Bordallo said she was concerned about the cuts she said the Senate's actions are similar to last year when proposed similar cuts but later restored them after conference committee, she is hoping the same will occur with the help of Chairman Ike Shelton and Congressman Solomon Ortiz.

Bordallo added, "I hope that if the Senate is sincere in their concerns over improvements to Guam infrastructure that they will favorably review several of my provisions in the House-passed defense bill, which grants the Department of Defense transfer authority to assist local infrastructure projects and outlines the requirements for conveying the Navy's water and wastewater system to the Guam Waterworks Authority."

If Futenma is not settled, the relocation of the Marines from Okinawa to Guam reportedly will not occur.