Amata Highlights Congressional Activity

Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Uifa’atali Amata is highlighting the rest of the past week’s congressional activity and committee work.

CONSERVATION: This week, the Natural Resources Committee passed the bipartisan Save Our Sequoias (SOS) Act, which Congresswoman Amata cosponsored. This bill to ensure preservation of America’s beautiful Giant Sequoia trees was introduced this spring on Arbor Day by Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy, providing emergency resources to save these ancient wonders. Amata took part in the Committee’s May 10 hearing examining the best means to protect the sequoias as national and ecological treasures. The hearing includes discussion of both Giant Sequoias (the world’s largest tree by volume) and Coast Redwoods (the tallest), both long-lived members of the Cypress family. Video is available here with Amata’s remarks and question at the 1:26:35 timestamp, with response ending at 1:30:23. This bill is one of eight advanced by the Committee this week.

VETERANS: This week, the House Appropriations Committee released the Fiscal Year 2024 Military Construction, Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, which fully funds the Department of Veterans’ Affairs (VA), including an $18 billion increase over 2023 in discretionary programs for the VA, covering veterans’ health care programs, veterans’ benefits, VA programs, and the VA electronic health record modernization initiative. This Act provides $338 billion to VA (fulfilling the 2024 budget request, with an increase of $16.5 billion over FY2023) and Department of Defense (DOD) for military construction and family housing. This includes over $1.4 billion for Pacific Deterrence Initiative, and $88.6 million to complete the expansion of the Arlington National Cemetery.

VA HEALTH HIRING: Congresswoman Amata took part in a joint hearing of two Veterans’ Subcommittees – she serves on both – the Health Subcommittee, and Oversight and Investigations. The hearing examined the ongoing challenges faced in VA health care hiring, staffing, and retaining. It was titled "VHA Recruitment and Retention: Is Bureaucracy Holding Back a Quality Workforce?" and video is available here with Amata’s question at the 1:20:20 mark.

FOREIGN AFFAIRS: Congresswoman Amata took part in a Wednesday roundtable on the plight of Afghan women following the U.S. chaotic withdrawal and airlift in 2021. The basic freedoms for women to leave the house without a male chaperone, work a job, or attend school beyond the age of 12, as practiced by women and children in Afghanistan for the prior two decades of U.S. protection, were rapidly overthrown. Members of Congress on Wednesday heard directly from former Afghan Ambassador to the U.S. Roya Rahmani, former Afghan diplomat Hadeia Amiry, and former Kabul Deputy Governor Hanifa Girowal discussing the suffering of women under the Taliban rule, and efforts to provide hope for these millions of women and girls.

In other Foreign Affairs news, the full Committee held a hearing with USAID Administrator Power on improving the USAID budget; Chairman Michael McCaul and Committee Members hosted Taiwan’s Legislative Speaker, Mr. You Si-kun for discussions; and the Committee marked up a bipartisan Resolution calling on Russia to immediately release U.S. citizen Evan Gershkovich, a respected Wall Street Journal reporter being wrongfully detained.

COMMEMORATIVE COIN: Congresswoman Amata cosponsored the bipartisan Working Dog Commemorative Coin Act, H.R. 807. The bill would honor contributions of working dogs in detection, military service, therapy, and assistance with $5 gold coins, $1 silver coins, and half-dollar clad coins, created and minted only in 2025.

SUPPORTING POLICE: The House passed several bills related to law enforcement during Police Week, including H. Con. Res. 40 by a bipartisan vote of 301-119, which expresses support for local law enforcement officers, and condemns efforts to defund or dismantle local law enforcement agencies.

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