Guam’s government is scrambling to cover more than $6.6 million in lost federal funding for substance abuse and mental health services after the
Trump administration ordered immediate clawbacks affecting programs through 2028.
The reductions include more than $6 million previously allocated to the Guam Behavioral Health and Wellness Center, officials said Wednesday. WestCare Pacific, a nonprofit service provider, is also losing $1 million.
Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero called the cuts “devastating and heartless,” while Lt. Gov. Josh Tenorio said they represent “a serious setback” at a time when progress was being made in treatment and prevention.
Provisionally, the Leon Guerrero–Tenorio administration plans to replace the lost grants with local funds to prevent layoffs of nearly 20 GBHWC employees and maintain services for clients. However, officials said the move will create a more than $1 million shortfall in the current fiscal year because the FY 2026 budget did not anticipate the federal action.
Leon Guerrero said her administration is working to bridge both immediate and long-term funding gaps and will ask Guam Delegate James Moylan and the
Legislature to assist.
“We are happy to provide this band-aid, but to truly heal this budgetary wound, we need our legislative partners on Guam and in Washington to pitch in,” she said.
GBHWC Director Carissa Pangelinan and Deputy Director James Cooper-Nurse are assessing how the cuts will affect staffing and the agency’s ability to meet
service demand.