On Thursday morning, Vice Speaker Tina Rose Muña Barnes testified in support of United States House of Representatives Resolution 279, which calls for the rejection of the Insular Cases that allowed the United States government to extend unilateral power over unincorporated territories.
“The Insular Cases are based on a history of a racial discrimination, which established a doctrine of ‘separate and unequal’ for American citizens and nationals living in the US territories. We must acknowledge the inequities territories face in federal programs, such as Medicaid and SSI,” said Vice Speaker Muña Barnes. “In testifying in support of House Resolution 279, I stand with my fellow citizens in Guam and in our sister territories in calling on Congress to finally address the injustices of the past.”
House Resolution 270, authored by House Natural Resources Chairman Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-AZ) recognizes and acknowledges that America’s constitutional and democratic principles apply throughout the United States, including both states and territories, acknowledges that the Insular Cases are relics of the racial views of an earlier era that have no place in our nation today; and rejects the Insular Cases and their application to all present and future cases and controversies involving the application of the Constitution in United States territories.
The Insular Cases have systematically prevented Guam residents from availing of vital programs such as Supplemental Security Income and additional funding for programs such as Medicaid and Federal Highway Funds.
(Vice Speaker Tina Rose Muña Barnes Release)
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