Amata Fights for the People of American Samoa
Congresswoman Urges Continued Federal Funding in Separate Efforts
Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Uifa’atali Amata is fighting for American Samoa’s funding. This week, in efforts that have already been underway for days, she took part in a major group letter by Members of Congress working to preserve FEMA funding nationwide, including American Samoa’s funding, and separately co-signed a letter on another funding issue with Rep. Kimberlyn King-Hinds of CNMI.
This week, Members of Congress wrote a letter, which rapidly gathered substantial bipartisan support throughout Congress, asking the Administration to immediately share with Congress, as has been past precedent, the list of awardees in respective districts so that eligible recipients can submit the best application possible before deadlines.
Like Amata, many other Members of Congress are urging the restoration of funding for states and territories through the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which supports local planning and preparedness efforts, including storms and tsunami response.
“I strongly support FEMA funds and other key grants especially in our remote situation, with unique economic and geographic challenges,” said Congresswoman Aumua Amata. “While I can understand the possibility of changes in how funds are delivered or administered down to states and territories, I strongly oppose any reduction at all in our funds, and I will work for our funds persistently as I have every year I’ve represented our people.”
In another major development, a court has restrained administration changes to FEMA’s Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program, which was created during President Donald Trump’s first term to help states, local and territorial governments and tribal nations develop plans and harden infrastructure to leave them better prepared for disasters. This program, over several years, works with up to 2,000 projects with $4.5 billion in funding. The outcome of these allocations has yet to be determined.
In another action this week, also underway for some time, Amata co-signed a letter with Representative King-Hinds, urging the Department of the Interior (DOI) for the status of the Bureau of Reclamation’s Territorial Domestic Water Supplies Program, established to improve drinking water infrastructure in the U.S. Territories.
Created in 2022, the Territorial Domestic Water Supplies Program funds projects in the Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands to support the planning, design, or construction of water projects for communities or households that do not have reliable access to domestic water supplies. Through the program, Congress reserved $11 million for these four territories.
“While such interruptions may seem minor, they have a disproportionate impact on the small, resource-limited island communities relying on these funds,” the letter states. “We respectfully request clear information on the reasons for this pause and an expected timeline for when the Bureau’s support for drinking water infrastructure projects in the Territories will resume.”
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