Ginger's Priorities if Elected

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Why Ginger is running for Congress

“I am passionate about our people and our island. We have an opportunity to leverage our position as America in the Indo-Pacific, focusing on the things that matter most – being safe from global threats and drug crime, bringing down the cost of living and housing, federal support for healthcare and workforce development, and investment in resilient infrastructure so future generations can prosper. This is my Vision. It is focused squarely on the notion that we can best prepare ourselves for the future by working together to take on the current challenges and those that will arise over the next several years. I invite you to join us in pursuing this Vision for Guam and I humbly ask for your support.”

Ginger knows that we face a defining moment in our history—a time of enormous threats and even greater opportunity.

Ginger understands how decisions made 8,000 miles away directly contribute to the frustrating problems we face on Guam every day—housing that costs too much, a dollar that buys too little, crime that’s gone too far and massive Defense Department plans that are having both good and unintended consequences for our people. 

What’s worse, problems that have existed for the past 20 years continue to linger without a solution. That is largely because of a lack of understanding of how the federal government can work better for Guam. This is an area where Ginger’s 40 years of experience and connections can make a real difference.

Right now, the stakes have never been higher, and the opportunity has never been greater for our island. Before this window of time closes, we need leadership with the experience and the know-how to leverage it to get results for the people of Guam.   

This moment calls for fresh ideas, new energy, and bold action to improve infrastructure, secure equal access to federal funding, protect our people and our environment, expand economic opportunity, and ensure our veterans get the services they have rightfully earned. 

Guam needs a representative in D.C. who knows Washington and is bold, knowledgeable, creative, and resourceful. Someone not afraid to aim high, speak truth to power, build a vision that reaches across the aisle and delivers results. It is time to have a delegate who will challenge the status quo in Washington instead of just politely reading what is handed to us or issuing press releases about federal appropriations being given to Guam.

We can no longer afford the same tired politics that has left us adrift while everyone around us is making decisions for us. Together, we have to be agents for our own change. With your support we can make it happen!

Elevate guam oversight from

interior to the white house

Ginger Cruz is running for Congress because the stakes have never been higher. When Guam transitioned away from Naval rule in 1949, our territory was placed under the Department of the Interior – with the buffalo and the trees. It’s 2024, and Guam is at the center of national security and a keystone of deterrence in a growing Cold War with China. And while we are taking on more and more of the burden of a growing military presence, we are being left on the wayside of U.S. efforts to expand prosperity in the Indo-Pacific. It is past time for Guam to get the attention we deserve from Washington, D.C.

One of Ginger’s first actions will be to start the process of elevating Guam’s place in the federal system from the Department of Interior to the White House, similar to where Puerto Rico sits. This is how we get federal coordination that works. At a time when tensions have never been higher and engagement has never been wider in the Indo-Pacific, we have a window to leverage our value to build a better future for our people. But we have to act now.

Protect the People of Guam

With the military hardening defenses to protect its personnel and infrastructure, we are behind the curve getting federal resources and attention to protect the people of Guam “outside the fence”. We must strengthen our National Guard and Homeland Security – not with more studies, but with actual funding and concrete federal support. 

Water security must be a top priority. We need federal support to upgrade and improve security for our island’s antiquated water delivery system. Did you know that it takes just 30 mobile desalination units to provide enough water for all our island residents, and the cost is less than $10 million? In times of extreme natural or manmade disaster, we have to ensure that our people’s most basic needs are met. Guam’s delegate to Washington has a responsibility to lead our island’s efforts in Congress to ensure that our people are protected, and our quality of life is enhanced.

Our National Guard needs the flexibility to reorganize and train, first and foremost, to defend Guam, given today’s military posture in the Pacific. It should receive dedicated funding and a local training facility, like other states, so it doesn't have to burn through its budget on high airfares to California or Louisiana.



We need to look to the lessons learned from Ukraine and Gaza. Floating barges, held in reserve, should be ready for our National Guard to use for disaster response throughout the Pacific and in times of disaster or conflict. The resources for our Guard should reflect the unique level of preparedness and threat that Guam is currently under, given the budget increases being applied to protect military personnel and assets on Guam.

Our Homeland Security and Civil Defense offices need support and resources to expand public awareness and preparedness for man-made disasters, not just typhoons. And we have to get serious now about expanding production of sustainable crops, fisheries and livestock for the long-term sustainability of our island.

Unincorporated Territory Status as an Opportunity not a Barrier

And while Ginger fully supports local efforts to move forward with decolonization, changing our political status is going to take time and Ginger knows we don't have time to waste. We can use our unincorporated territorial status as a blank slate rather than a barrier, leveraging our unique status to create opportunities for unique solutions.

Ginger understands, after more than a decade of D.C. experience, that in a Congress plagued by gridlock, Guam must have the tools to fix our problems by both updating legislation AND influencing executive policy at an agency level.

As America’s hub and with the world’s attention on us, the time is now for Guam to fight for federal policy changes that give us the advantage and ensure effective interagency coordination of our issues. Policies, including “Buy America” and “Cabotage,” need to make sense for national security and for Guam. We have been trying for five years to get more cranes at our port and are suffering from exorbitant airfares due to powerful airline monopolies.

We are sagging under the burden of federal immigration mandates that cost Guam taxpayers millions, without reimbursement. We need to open dialogue that finds new ways to meet federal intent while not hurting our people. 

There is no reason for us to lament the lack of federal-Guam negotiation mechanisms when we can put them in place ourselves. Saipan, as part of its commonwealth status, has “902” talks. Guam can amend the legislation governing us to develop dialogue that puts these issues on the table so problems can be addressed.

Now is the time to ensure that the military build-up is good for Guam – that our schools are improved, our infrastructure is stronger, our healthcare is better, and crime rates are brought down by shutting down the importation of drugs. We are the only ones who can leverage our value to build a better future for our people. We cannot expect others to do it for us. We must be the agents of our own change.

Get Guam a Seat at the table for Asian Pacific Prosperity

Ginger also believes that Guam’s delegate must be an active and credible participant in the ongoing discussions related to America’s positioning in the Indo-Pacific.

Guam can benefit from increased involvement in regional trade, commerce and defense agreements between the U.S. and our allies. 

We need reasonable airfares, lower prices at the grocery store, and new investment from regional partners who are best able to help us improve healthcare and expand into technology industries. 

We also have to invest in our most precious resource, our people, and build opportunities here to promote growth and spur new high-paying jobs, which is why Ginger will work to expand workforce development, advanced manufacturing and federal investment in new high-tech industries. At the same time, we have to secure SSI, finally relocate veteran’s services from Hawaii to Guam, and raise the quality of life for everyone.

Ginger believes the delegate should be an agent of change for Guam, taking inspiration from the great former delegates who fought for U.S. citizenship and the right to elect our own governor. Experience matters, results count. Ginger is fully committed to fighting for Guam and producing results.

Drawing on a lifetime network of high-level contacts throughout Guam and Washington, D.C., and a career of successfully influencing federal policy, Ginger will start by leading the development of a shared vision for our island “Guam 2044: A Path to Empowerment”. 

Path to Empowerment will be a visionary plan crafted by the island's leaders in the public and private sector and throughout the community. It would be an ambitious agenda, outlining goals aimed at securing sustainable development, enhancing autonomy, and improving the quality of life for all residents. Our plan would seek to transform our island's economic landscape, bolster infrastructure, and ensure environmental stewardship, reflecting the aspirations of Guam to achieve greater self-determination and prosperity over the next two decades.

To accomplish this, Ginger is committed to engaging in regular quarterly sessions on Guam with leaders in the public and private sector to develop a clear sense of what we together must achieve in Washington, something we can all unite behind. 

Then, twice a year, she will invite leadership to Washington, D.C., to demonstrate a united front, meet with top level federal officials together, with a Whole of Guam Approach, and  transformational agenda at the federal level. 

And while the high-level agenda is set, Ginger will utilize a PACE methodology - Professionalize, Amend, Collaborate and Exempt - to achieve results within 24 months.

Ginger's pace methodology

Professionalize

We will bring together professionals from Guam and D.C. to build the best team possible to advance Guam’s agenda. We will focus on top-notch constituent services, something not seen over the past six years on Guam. We will push for data to be collected across the federal government to properly inform policy reform. And our team will make sure Guam’s voice is heard in the halls of Congress and in the federal agencies in Washington, D.C., that set the regulations that affect our lives and livelihoods so that D.C. does more for the people of Guam.

Amend

Amend bills, address deficiencies in regulations to better serve the people of Guam. Ginger will use all the powers of the office to address the policy needs of Guam. We will be creative and seize both legislative and executive opportunities to address legacy issues, inspired by the works of former Delegates Won Pat, Blaz, Underwood and Bordallo. 

Collaborate

As a non-voting member, Guam has to work harder to find solutions to our challenges. Collaboration with our fellow territories, Hawaii, Alaska and other like-minded states is essential. We need to work closely with federal agencies – the people who enforce the rules – on ways to make them work better for Guam. We must harness think tanks, international media, special interest groups and other powerful allies to strengthen Guam’s team and raise our profile – increasing our chances of scoring wins for our people.

Exempt

We have to accept that the rules were not created for us 8,000 miles away from D.C. When those rules hurt us, we must secure relief because more and more, Guam’s success is America’s success. It’s not about changing the rules but carving out a path for Guam that allows us to thrive. Understanding our unique location on the globe, empowering Guam to thrive builds a stronger Guam, which in turn builds a stronger America.