House Passes Infrastructure Bill with Over 100 Million for American Samoa

Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Uifa'atali Amata said Friday that American Samoa's share of funding in one of two major spending bills has passed the House and will be sent to President Biden to be signed into law. The House-passed $550 billion infrastructure bill includes over $100 million for American Samoa, now secured, that will go toward transportation, roads, bridges, ports, airports, broadband, cyber security, sewer and safe drinking water.

The 5-year highway funding includes an increase by formula of over 200 percent for American Samoa, as worked on together by the territories' Representatives in Congress, while much of the rest will be through grant programs. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, H.R. 3684, had already passed the Senate with bipartisan support.

"I support investment in American Samoa, especially infrastructure projects that make lasting improvements," Congresswoman Amata said. "This Act invests in some key areas for us, including roads, ports, broadband, safe water, and sewer infrastructure."

As the less controversial of the two major spending bills, the infrastructure vote was delayed until Friday and used throughout the bargaining to find support for the Build Back Better Act. In a tactical change, the House majority proceeded with the vote Friday on final passage of the infrastructure act, and plans to continue efforts on the separate Build Back Better Act, sometimes described as the social services and climate portion of the Biden agenda. The House passed a procedural vote but did not take up final passage. One factor is that the bill hasn't been "scored," which is a nonpartisan in-depth cost analysis by the Congressional Budget Office. Key Democratic House moderates want to see that scoring before voting on the bill.

The Build Back Better Act, H.R. 5376, is currently $1.8 trillion legislation under consideration that has corporate and upper income tax increases. It has been negotiated for months, and reduced from the initial proposal at the insistence of moderate Senators concerned about national debt and rising inflation. Notably for American Samoa, the bill retains Amata's request on American Samoa's hospital infrastructure funds, approximately $120-140 million spread over ten years, as included by the House Committee on Natural Resources. The bill would also make available tens of millions in additional grant program funds to American Samoa across the board, including education, Veterans, Seniors, housing, small business, agriculture, climate, nutrition, health and Medicaid.

"My first priorities are ensuring that American Samoa is treated fairly in nationwide appropriations, and fully informing our people," Amata said. "Much like the CARES Act and other Covid relief funding bills, we will continue our recent yearly pace of record federal funding for American Samoa, with a new boost to infrastructure."

Even upon House passage, the Build Back Better Act still faces a Senate vote. While key Senators agreed recently to a framework and top line amount, the Senate could reject or amend a bill from the House.

American Samoa's hospital infrastructure is part of nearly $1 billion ($993 million) for the Department of Interior's Office of Insular Affairs to invest in hospital infrastructure in four smaller U.S. territories over a ten-year span, of which American Samoa's portion is an estimated $10-12 million per year at the discretion of the Secretary based on factors of population and need.

"Our need for a modernized hospital will increase even more over the years," Amata concluded. "If passed, these funds would not get us to the goal line, but they would get us on the playing field."

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