Senators have passed some $56 million in spending measures.

One is to assist businesses still struggling to recover from the pandemic, and another is to help offset rising power bills.

The focus of today's session was more about what the governor had to say, which some senators took some very strong exceptions.

One of the bills was by Sen. Joe San Agustin to appropriate $15 million from the General Fund, and $5 million in American Rescue Plan money to fund a new Local Employers Assistance Program to prop up struggling businesses.

The other was by Speaker Therese Terlaje, to continue the $100 a month power bill subsidies for another five months.

On Tuesday, Department of Administration Director Ed Birn reassured senators that it's likely the government will continue to see on average $10 million a month more than projected, which is what they can count on to cover the costs of the two measures.

But ahead of the session, Adelup sent out a news release saying while it agrees with the intent, "entertaining two competing measures simultaneously without a sufficient funding source is poor fiscal policy and reverts GovGuam into its past habitual deficit spending."

Some senators took exception to the scolding.

Minority leader Frank Blas, Jr., who in his own message called on the governor to use her ARP funds, instead of relying on the General Fund may have triggered Adelup.

"So there is some truth to that," he said. "We are spending to reduce a deficit in the community. The deficit is this shouldn't have happened because of $228 million dollars still sitting in an account."

The $228 million is the remaining arp funds that Adelup says haven't actually been spent yet, but are fully encumbered.

Meanwhile, Speaker Therese Terlaje was triggered by the administration's contradictory message about insufficient funding and poor fiscal policy.

"This is taxpayer funds, these are general funds and they come from our taxpayers," she said. "I say we give it back to them as relief, we make it very clear to the governor that this is our priority as a legislature and the nonsense about deficit spending and the nonsense about taking money from the department of education and the nonsense that there is not enough money has to end."

Sen. Joe San Agustin Defended the governor.

"And when one of my colleagues brought up, 'we asked her to give $15 million' and she asked us, no she didn't. I'm the author of the bill, I asked her if she can find ways to support. She identified $5 million, it's in her state of address. So let's just end that issue. Now reference to ARP, yes, it would be nice if she could use it, but it's like any one of you, if you have the money I'm not gonna tell you how to use your money. and then we move on from there."

Both measures passed overwhelmingly.