Aumua Meets With Senior Citizens and Members of the Territorial Administration on Aging (TAOA)

Washington, D.C. – Monday, Congresswoman Aumua Amata, met with distinguished members of the Territorial Administration On Aging (TAOA) in Pago Pago, to discuss some of their concerns and objectives. Following kind introductions from TAOA Director High Talking Chief Ale Tifimalae Ale and a short rendition of the Siva from the Congresswoman; Amata addressed and engaged the large gathering of senior citizens.

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"First and foremost, I would like to thank all of the members of TAOA for your service to American Samoa," said Amata. "As our senior citizens with years of experience in serving our Samoan people, I cherish and welcome your insight, wisdom and guidance. It is extremely helpful to hear your concerns on the many issues that we are facing here in American Samoa," continued Amata.

The senior citizens were genuinely surprised and elated when they found out that Congresswoman Aumua Amata made time available on her busy schedule to meet with them and hear their issues and concerns. According to some of the attendees, this is the first time ever that their Member of Congress has met with the group of senior citizens and they were thrilled to have this opportunity to raise a few of their concerns.

The primary topic of concern for TAOA is the return to the Food Voucher instead of the current Hot Meals program. The senior citizens asked the Congresswoman for help to turn the hot meals they are currently receiving, back to food vouchers. As the elderly and caretakers for their families, they firmly believe in sharing the food with all family members and the best way to do this is by receiving the food voucher, which they can use to buy a bag of rice or other foods in bulk that they can share with the rest of the family. The Congresswoman thanked the seniors for their input and will ensure it remains as one of her top priorities. Many seniors commented that they were thankful for Amata's service in the short time she has been in office and the impact she has had on many programs affecting senior citizens.

Many other different topics of discussion were covered, including the recent minimum wage hike introduced by the Congresswoman and signed into law by President Obama. The seniors questioned whether or not they were eligible for the new wage increase and the Congresswoman assured them that anyone who holds a job that pays the minimum wage in American Samoa is eligible for the increase.

Another concern of the seniors was that of Medicare coverage for prescription medicine, or the lack thereof. The Congresswoman acknowledged the lack of Medicare plan choices for the territories and stated that she is already working with her colleagues to address this inequity between the states and territories. "This is just another example of how the territories have been treated as second class for far too long. We must ensure a level playing field for our seniors, the healthcare they receive, and the costs," said Amata.

"I want to thank TAOA Director Ale Tifimalae Ale for inviting me to be here today, and for his dedication to our seniors in his duties as the leader of this wonderful organization. I also want to thank all of you again for being here today and showing how much you care about our people and the future. I know that by working together as a team, we can achieve great things for American Samoa," concluded Amata.

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