Press Releases
Washington, D.C. – Tuesday, Congresswoman Aumua Amata confirmed that she and the Governor of American Samoa have filed an appellate brief to the United States Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit in the Fitisemanu case alongside the U.S. Department of State, appealing the District Court decision of Judge Waddoups in Utah. The December ruling, which would impose blanket citizenship, thereby upsetting the political process of self-determination, elevated longstanding concerns about the impact on the islands' traditional culture and heritage — Fa'a Samoa, the Samoan way.
Washington, D.C. – Monday, Congresswoman Aumua Amata is welcoming another vital CARES Act coronavirus relief grant, this time $1,617,855 through the U.S. Department of Education to aid the American Samoa Community College, with $808,943 (half of the total) specified as assistance for the students.
Washington, D.C. – Monday, Congresswoman Aumua Amata is welcoming $766,000 for American Samoa's medical providers through the Health and Human Services (HHS) Department in another appropriation resulting from the CARES Act.
This HHS assistance is part of COVID-19 relief for hospitals and clinics under the CARES Act's Provider Relief Fund, and this payment does not require repayment or matching funds.
Washington, D.C. – Wednesday, Congresswoman Aumua Amata was able to bring up the need to reopen fishing access as a matter of national food security during a call with Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt.
Congresswoman Amata brought up directly two aspects of American Samoa's fishing industry during the discussion: Reopening access to waters, and the currently unavailable observers for fishing vessels, requesting that the observer on board requirement be waived.
Washington, D.C. – Thursday, Congresswoman Aumua Amata is highlighting National Public Health Week, and thanking all those working to make health care and basic needs steadily available during this time of precautions.
Washington, D.C. – Wednesday, Congresswoman Aumua Amata welcomed an in-depth briefing provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and Region 9 Director Robert Fenton on the agency’s action plan to assist in coronavirus efforts in American Samoa and other island territories, and she supports Governor Lolo’s request for the federal government to take on the entire financial responsibility and waive the Territory’s 25 percent matching requirement.
Washington, D.C. – Tuesday, Congresswoman Aumua Amata is welcoming another health grant for the second straight day — $745,000 for American Samoa Community Health Centers — this time from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) and once again directly through the recent congressional appropriations in the CARES Act.
Washington, D.C. – Monday, Congresswoman Aumua Amata is welcoming a second health grant – this one $740,000 – to American Samoa from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) specifically to support our COVID-19 response.
Combined with the CDC's previous $370,000 grant to American Samoa in late March this makes a total of $1.1 million to date directly for local coronavirus efforts.
Washington, D.C. – Monday, Congresswoman Aumua Amata is welcoming U.S. Department of Labor publication of direction to states and territories for Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC), an important step in getting this unemployment relief on the way.
Washington, D.C. – Thursday, Congresswoman Aumua Amata is letting independent or private nonprofit schools, or church or faith-based schools in American Samoa know that Congress included them in the assistance options. These assistance options are part of a joint program, the $349 billion Paycheck Protection Program, between the U.S. Treasury and directly administered by the Small Business Administration (SBA). This assistance follows the same principles as the similar help offered to churches and small businesses, based on similar categories of payrolls.