Amata Congratulates Speaker Johnson, and Says Appropriations Now the Focus
Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Uifa’atali Amata is welcoming the election of a new Speaker of the House on Wednesday, so the House can step up the focus on passing necessary yearly appropriations bills. The House voted in Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) with 220 votes to 209 for Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries. In contrast to recent votes, Speaker Johnson holds the support of the entire Republican conference, becoming the 56th Speaker of the U.S. House, and ending three weeks led by Speaker Pro Tempore Patrick McHenry (R-NC).
Now, Congress must urgently determine the best way forward for government-wide funding, with possible passage of major appropriations or another Continuing Resolution (CR) to temporarily fund some federal programs while those bills are completed, along with supplies to Israel, disaster relief for the Maui wildfire and hurricanes in the U.S., ongoing support for Ukraine, and completing legislation that affirms renewed Compacts of Free Association agreements with our closest Pacific allies, Indo-Pacific security, and our military pay.
“Congratulations to Speaker Johnson, I know him and he’s a man of faith, and I look forward to working with him for our priorities,” said Congresswoman Amata. “During these weeks, we’ve continued to work on hearings and legislation, but the Constitution requires a Speaker in order to pass legislation, and some of the most important legislation of the year is in the works to fund the government after November 17th. I’ve been discussing our Territory’s priorities with colleagues, building a groundwork for our legislation, and noting that neither proposal is costly to the U.S. Treasury. These include our plan to allow simpler conversion to citizenship for any U.S. National choosing to do so as an individual, and implementing a constitutional change that the people of American Samoa voted for and the Fono has called for in a Resolution. I continue to call for the American Samoa economic development credit to strengthen our fishing-based local economy.
She concluded, “I look forward to reporting back on these developments, and being home again soon, as I’ve been staying in Washington due to these efforts and Speaker votes.”
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