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Georgia representative lumps Guam into foreign countries undeserving of federal aid

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You have permission to edit this article.Back to TopA freshman congresswoman from Georgia who’s become known as a polarizing figure, told a conservative conference that federally-funded foreign aid should benefit Americans instead – invoking Guam in a list of countries assisted by the U.S. federal government.“I’m a regular, normal person. And I wanted to take my regular - normal person, normal, everyday American values, which is: we love our country. We believe our hard-earned tax dollars should just go for America – not for what, China, Russia, the Middle East, Guam – whatever, wherever,” said Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene said at this year’s Conservative Political Action Conference. “If we want to build roads, if we want to put money into schools, if we want to build border walls, we want it right here at home. This is easy to me; it’s easy to us, but it’s not easy to Washington.”Although her speech happened late last month, a video of her full remarks was posted yesterday to .&nbsp;Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.Error! There was an error processing your request.Guam has been a part of American since 1899, and people born on Guam have been U.S. citizens since 1950. Controversial comments from Greene have been met with rebukes from Democrats and Republicans, but local leaders providing reactions to the Guam Daily Post struck a more delicate chord overall."Congresswoman Greene is a new member, and we will be paying a visit to her and delivering delicious Chamorro Chip cookies as part of our ongoing outreach to new members to introduce them to our wonderful island of Guam," said Del. Michael San Nicolas, referring to a strategy to engage with fellow members of Congress through what he called “Cookie Diplomacy” in an annual address to the Legislature last year.&nbsp;From the governor's office, director of communications Krystal Paco-San Agustin said: ”We would be more than happy to send Representative Greene’s office a copy of Destiny’s Landfall: A History of Guam."'this wonderful part of America'Two time former chairman of the Republican Party of Guam Phil Flores said he called Congresswoman Greene’s office. She wasn’t available so Flores talked to one of her assistants.&nbsp;“I said Guam is a part of America. We have been for 122 years,” said Flores who shared with the assistant his role with the Republican Party locally as well as his 15 to 16 year stint as a member of the Republican National Committee.&nbsp;“I’m not calling to beat her up I’m calling to educate her.”&nbsp;Flores said Greene’s comments and lack of knowledge about Guam “was really disappointing.”&nbsp;“You see it every once in a while, ‘Where’s Guam?’. And obviously we don’t expect to be as well known in the mainland as perhaps California or New York but more people should know about this wonderful part of America,” Flores said.He said there’s still a lot of education necessary in some parts of the world about Guam and other Pacific islands and the role they’ve played historically and in current global affairs.&nbsp;“I’ve done much traveling in Asia … and people in Asia know about Guam, especially here in Korea, Taiwan, Japan. But if you go to some places in the states … they will not know about Guam,” he said.&nbsp;Flores said earlier on in his career he had come across people who had no idea where Guam was, even so far as placing it in the continent of Africa.&nbsp;Flores also shared a story of his son, who while West Virginia University and enjoying a night out with his friends, would show his Guam ID at a bar or pub.&nbsp;“They would not accept his Guam ID because it’s from a foreign country,” Flores said. His son would have to bring his U.S. Passport with him because “people don’t know what Guam is.”&nbsp;Flores encourages people to call her office and share a little bit about Guam.For her part, Sen. Telena Nelson who chairs the legislative committee that includes federal affairs, said the comments aligning Guam with "near-peer competitors" of American were "appalling" coming from a member of Congress."This is not the first time, nor will it be the last, that our island is mistaken for foreign soil when the fact remains that we have been woven into the fabric of the United States for over a century. Our mutually-beneficial relationship with the United States has long afforded us many privileges, however, our people and our many contributions remain unknown and unimportant to many Americans. This urges us to not only continue making our island known, but to also amplify our voices and implore our national and federal governments to give Guåhan and our people the committed support we need in our quest for self-determination,” she told the Guam Daily Post.Poll results are published every Monday in The Guam Daily Post.You voted:BackThe Guam Hotel and Restaurant Association recently invited guests to kick off their weekend with the island's "first immersive exhibition" of art and music in celebration of a very special anniversary for the organization.Guam's Longhorn Steakhouse and its team were recognized by the restaurant's parent corporation and given an Excellence in Service and Operations award at the Longhorn Steakhouse conference held last week in Dallas, Texas, according to Richard Hart, franchise partner for Longhorn Steakhouse Guam.Stephen Gatewood is now the sales and customer service manager for Guam and Micronesia for Matson, the company announced in a news release.The Guam Daily Post team is pleased to announce our forum section will once again feature local voices covering local issues.The Work ZoneYou’ve probably heard the saying, “Perception is reality.” The missing word that makes a major difference is “our.” It’s not the reality, it’s…This Labor Day is a meaningful one as we celebrate many achievements in the past year, and we have each and every working individual and contr…

You have permission to edit this article.Back to TopA freshman congresswoman from Georgia who’s become known as a polarizing figure, told a conservative conference that federally-funded foreign aid should benefit Americans instead – invoking Guam in a list of countries assisted by the U.S. federal government.“I’m a regular, normal person. And I wanted to take my regular - normal person, normal, everyday American values, which is: we love our country. We believe our hard-earned tax dollars should just go for America – not for what, China, Russia, the Middle East, Guam – whatever, wherever,”...

Georgia representative lumps Guam into foreign countries undeserving of federal aid

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