Aumua Meets with American Samoa Chamber of Commerce

Pago Pago –Sunday, Congresswoman Aumua Amata, met with the local Chamber of Commerce last week to discuss some of the things happening in Washington that affect the local economy, and what Congress is doing to help the nation’s small businesses, including those American Samoa.

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“I am very excited to hear about some of the things that are happening down here on the local level, and I am also pleased to share some of the things we in Congress are to doing to help the nation’s small businesses. As you may know, the vast majority of businesses on our island qualify as a small business, and that is why I sit on the House Small Business Committee (HSBC), to make sure that we are doing everything we can to look out for their best interests, and help them succeed,” said Amata.

The Congresswoman spoke to the Chamber regarding the work she and the HSBC are doing in Washington, specifically mentioning the long overdue and long needed oversight of the SBA (Small Business Administration), and their many programs that are designed to help small businesses compete. Many of the programs have been plagued with mismanagement, underutilization, and duplication of other programs, making them redundant and inefficient. Amata also spoke on her bill that requires a study of the effects of bundling federal contracts, which puts small businesses at a disadvantage when biding on those contracts, and was signed into law by President Obama last year. The Congresswoman continued by mentioning her bill that is currently before the committee, and is expected to move in the near future, which directs the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to initiate a review of the Office of Government Contracting and Business Development (OGCBD). Lastly, Amata was pleased to relay the news of the dramatic increase to the Elementary and Secondary Education portion of the American Samoa Department of Education’s (ASDOE) budget for the 2017-2018 school year.

“I want to thank Chamber of Commerce President, Francine Gaisoa and the other Chamber Members for inviting me to be here today. I can honestly say that I have never seen so much enthusiasm and energy from our Chamber, and I am excited to hear about the initiative set forth by Francine, to work with the Samoa Chamber, which I believe will be a great benefit to our island,” concluded Amata.

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