[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 118 (Monday, July 20, 2026)]
[House]
[Page H4635]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          COMMEMORATING 82ND ANNIVERSARY OF LIBERATION OF GUAM

  (Mr. Moylan of Guam was recognized to address the House for 5 
minutes.)
  Mr. MOYLAN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the 82nd 
anniversary of the liberation of Guam.
  On July 21, 1944, American forces returned to Guam and liberated our 
island after nearly 3 years of Japanese occupation. For the CHamoru 
people and all who called Guam home, liberation marked the end of a 
period defined by fear and suffering.
  Today, I recognize the special courage of Guam's Greatest Generation. 
Throughout the occupation, there was one source of strength that united 
the people: their faith. When families were separated, they prayed. 
When food was scarce, they prayed. When they faced the uncertainty that 
tomorrow might never come, they prayed. Prayer became the act of hope.
  Many survivors have shared stories of praying the rosary together in 
secret, gathering quietly with family, and finding strength in 
Scripture. Those prayers sustained a people who refused to lose their 
humanity, even during one of the darkest chapters of Guam's history.
  These moments served as a powerful reminder that while liberation was 
won through the ones who fought on the battlefield, many endured 
through the steadfast faith of those who never gave up hope at home.
  The people of Guam continue to carry forward the legacy 82 years 
later. We continue to pray for lasting peace, the safety of the brave 
men and women who serve our Nation today, and a world where future 
generations will never have to endure what Guam experienced during 
World War II.
  Madam Speaker, we commemorate this year's theme: ``Para I Onra, Para 
I Gloria''; ``For Her Honor, For Her Glory.'' May God continue to watch 
over our beloved island of Guam and grant us the lasting peace for 
generations to come.


        denouncing ending birthright citizenship for territories

  Mr. MOYLAN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to strongly denounce the End 
Birthright Citizenship for the Territories Act.
  The author of this bill is quick to offer assurances that the bill 
explicitly carves out protection for the children born to U.S. citizens 
and permanent residents on Guam who will fully retain their American 
citizenship.
  They present this as a reasonable compromise, a harmless safeguard 
for our local families. Madam Speaker, do not mistake a patronizing 
concession for respect. The clause does not ease the fundamental insult 
of this legislation. It merely exposes its hypocrisy.
  By including the very language, this body openly acknowledges that it 
is attempting to do in the territories what the Supreme Court just 
ruled it cannot constitutionally do in the 50 States.
  It exploits the fact that citizenship in Guam is governed by statute, 
rather than the full embrace of the 14th Amendment. It creates a 
dangerous and deeply insulting double standard. It signals to our 
community that the ground under our feet is a lesser class of American 
soil.
  It says that while the States' borders are structurally protected 
from Washington legislative whims, the legal fabric of our island 
cannot be experimented on by Federal mandates.
  Our citizenship was not handed to us by casual gift or a line item to 
be tinkered with. It was forged in the fires of World War II, through 
the brutality of an enemy occupation where our people suffered, yet 
never once wavered in their alliance to the United States.
  We have repaid that honor by serving the United States Armed Forces 
where our sons and daughters serve at a rate higher than nearly any 
jurisdiction in the Nation.
  To tell a population that bears a great weight of defending this 
Republic that Congress can selectively alter birthright citizenship on 
their soil is a profound sign of disrespect. It treats the sacred bond 
of our citizenship as a secondary status subject to the political whims 
of Washington.
  We do not ask for constitutional handouts or patronizing exemptions. 
We ask for equality. We demand that the soil our veterans defended be 
treated with the exact same constitutional reverence as the 50 States.
  Madam Speaker, this bill fails the test of basic respect, and I urge 
my colleagues reject this double standard and join me in denouncing 
this bill.

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