Lt. Gov. Tenorio: Guam, CNMI should have more economic, social integration

02/12/25 - Guam Lt. Gov. Josh Tenorio said Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands should be more economically and socially integrated.

“I think that our future is going to have to be together,” he told Marianas Press in a one-on-one interview with Thomas Manglona II.

Tenorio described Guam’s relationship with the Northern Marianas as the closest relationship the island has. He continues to find areas where laws can be standardized to have ease of business and social integration. 

“Airline services [is] such a debilitating thing when the cost for transportation between Guam and any of the islands in the CNMI is greater than it costs for us to go to the Philippines or other East Asian countries. It really is an isolation that we need to break,” Lt. Gov. Tenorio said. 

He said the circumstances undermine the economic potential of Guam and the Northern Marianas. They plan to reach out to the new leadership of the U.S. Department of Transportation under President Donald Trump to resume conversations about the issue.

“But we have been getting support from our friends at the Department of Defense to try and get some subsidy or some special air program support that would lower the barriers and make it more affordable for travel between the Marianas,” Tenorio said. 

He said a cabotage exemption to allow foreign airlines to provide interisland service would require federal legislation and hopefully, the Guam and CNMI Republican delegates can pursue this in Congress.

“I do not see the partisan divide coming into play because we have to focus in on what our collective interests are,” Tenorio said. He also would like to see a return to more group tour packages including Guam and the CNMI.

Watch the full interview with Guam Lt. Governor Josh Tenorio now on Marianas Press’s YouTube channel and Facebook page.