Press Releases
Washington, D.C. – Monday, Congresswoman Aumua Amata highlighted congressional action from 2015 resulting in a Government Accountability Office (GAO) study team's current efforts in American Samoa to report on the Territory's minimum wage.
"In 2015, I sponsored a bill which passed into law, in which Congress directed the GAO to conduct this study of our minimum wage for 2020," said Aumua Amata. "I'm happy to see the GAO team at work here in American Samoa, learning firsthand about our economy, so we can have the best possible minimum wage policy going forward."
Washington, D.C.—Friday, Congresswoman Aumua Amata is welcoming House passage earlier this week of several Veterans' bills, including two that she cosponsored.
Washington, D.C. – Friday, Congresswoman Aumua Amata is welcoming four grants from the U.S. Department of Justice's Office on Violence Against Women (OVW), totaling $1,272,409 for American Samoa.
The grants, from four different programs within OVW, include two grants for the American Samoa Alliance Against Domestic and Sexual Violence in Pago Pago of $350,000 and $242,217. Two grants are for the American Samoa Criminal Justice Planning Agency in Utulei, and those amounts are $618,450 and $61,742.
Washington, D.C. – Thursday, Congresswoman Aumua Amata released the following statement honoring the life of Congressman Elijah Cummings of Maryland:
Washington, D.C. – Wednesday, Congresswoman Aumua Amata welcomed notice from the National Park Service (NPS) of a $100,000 grant for improvements to the Lions Park in American Samoa through the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), and highlighted recent congressional action that improved that program's funding for the territories.
Washington, DC—Monday, Congresswoman Aumua Amata said that Chairman Mark Takano of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs will plan on a trip to American Samoa as soon as possible to speak to the Veterans, as this week's visit was canceled due to changes in the schedule caused by Typhoon Hagibis in CNMI. The Congressional Delegation (CODEL) will be able to meet with Pacific Veterans in Hawaii before Members of Congress depart for Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.—Friday, Congresswoman Aumua Amata is highlighting an opportunity for the Veterans of American Samoa to speak to the Chairman of the Committee on Veterans' Affairs and Members of Congress.
Washington, D.C.—Friday, Congresswoman Aumua Amata welcomed a grant of $536,964 for American Samoa's coral reef conservation through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
These funds are available to the American Samoa Department of Marine and Wildlife Resources under the Coral Reef Conservation Cooperative Agreement. American Samoa Government would need to match $49,588 in funding.
Washington, D.C.—Thursday, Congresswoman Aumua Amata announced the introduction of H.R. 4589. This bill, sponsored by Rep. TJ Cox (D-CA) with Reps. Aumua Amata (R-AS), Susie Lee (D-NV), and Greg Steube (R-FL), would give permanent authorization for the VA Grant Program for the Transportation of Highly Rural Veterans. Currently every two-year Congress must reauthorize this vital program that appropriates $3 million dollars in grants each year to aid in transportation of highly rural veterans to medical care. This bill would permanently extend authority of this program.
Washington, D.C.—Thursday, Congresswoman Aumua Amata announced the introduction of H.R. 4588 Modernizing VA's Records Management Program Act. This bill, sponsored by Rep. T.J. Cox (D-CA) with original cosponsors Reps. Aumua Amata (R-AS) and Greg Steube (R-FL), would treat digitized records as originals with respect to claims administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs. This will ease the process of applying for claims and getting veterans the care that they need.