Attempted removal of senator draws warnings on democracy

“Silencing dissent weakens democracy.”

That's what the Democratic Party of Guam had to say after Appropriations Chair, Senator Christopher Dueñas, attempted to remove Sen. Therese Terlaje from the session floor Saturday.

Carrying on with Fiscal Year 2026 budget debate, Sen. Chris Barnett offered two amendments to allocate $4.5 million in excess FY25 General Fund revenues to the Department of Education.

“GDOE has been very adamant about how they need these funds to stave off cuts that are absolutely going to impact classroom learning and the department,” said Barnett. 

After multiple attempts to garner his colleagues support, Barnett's amendments failed, Dueñas ruling them out of order, saying the funds could not be used.

That's when Sen Therese Terlaje stepped up, making points of inquiry to get clarity on the ruling.

“These were to obligate 2025 general fund revenue balance, meaning excess revenues from FY 25,” said Terlaje. 

“We are in recess,” said Dueñas. 

Dueñas repeatedly ruled Terlaje out of order.

Sen. Terlaje: Mr. Chair, with all due respect, I believe I have the floor on a point of inquiry when you walked out. 

Sen. Dueñas: Senator, I have already ruled on that amendment.

Sen. Terlaje: You haven’t even heard my point of inquiry, Mr. Chair. 

Sen. Dueñas: You are out of order. We are in recess.

Terlaje stood firm in her right to raise her point of inquiry until, Dueñas said, “If you continue, Senator Terlaje, I will have the Sergeant-at-arms remove you from the floor for the duration of this amendment…Sarge, please remove the member.”

The Sergeant-At-Arms and Speaker Frank Blas Jr. spent nearly an hour attempting to remove Terlaje.

She refused, and session recessed until later Saturday evening.

That evening, Dueñas issued a statement defending his ruling, saying the legislature “cannot and will not allow disorder to overshadow the people’s work” and that the people’s house must operate with “respect, dignity, and order.” 

In a statement of her own, Senator Terlaje described Dueñas’ behavior as “an alarming display of power abuse” that puts the people's interests at risk.

In closing she poses a question: Can the republican majority throw out anyone who disagrees with them?

As budget hearings continue, the incident has shifted debate beyond numbers and line items, raising questions about whether dissent is being silenced in Guam's Legislature, and what that could mean for the island’s democracy moving forward.