Press Releases
Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Uifa'atali Amata met with Honolulu Commander Lt. Col. Eric S. Marshall and the Army Corps of Engineers last week, was briefed on the status of their numerous projects in American Samoa, and discussed their previous report on LBJ Tropical Medical Center. At the request of Congresswoman Amata, Lt. Col. Marshall and the Army Corps agreed to review and update that assessment of LBJ to reflect the effects of the pandemic on construction costs.
Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Uifa'atali Amata met last week with Admiral John C. Aquilino, Commander, Indo-Pacific Command, and received a briefing on the state of the Pacific region. The briefing encompassed a broad range of issues affecting American Samoa, U.S. territories, the Freely Associated States, and the Pacific region as a whole. USINDOPACOM has vital roles throughout the region, including support relied on by American Samoa, Guam, CNMI, the Republic of Palau, the Republic of Marshall Islands and the Federated States of Micronesia.
Washington, D.C. – Tuesday, Congresswoman Uifa'atali Amata is pleased to welcome a federal grant worth $583,215 for American Samoa. The federal grant, awarded through the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), is part of the National Initiative to Address COVID-19 Health Disparities. The initiative aims to address health disparities across America which put certain communities at higher risk of exposure to COVID-19.
Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Uifa'atali Amata met with Rear Admiral Matthew W. Sibley, head of the historic 14th District Coast Guard.
The 14th District has more than 1,150 active duty, 150 reserve, 80 civilian, and 400 Auxiliary men and women, and covers the Coast Guard's largest area of responsibility. In all, this extensive District includes an area of more than 14 million square miles of land and sea, with units on Oahu, Maui, Kauai, the island of Hawaii, and in American Samoa, Saipan, Guam, Singapore and Japan.
Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Uifa'atali Amata released the following message in recognition of Memorial Day 2021:
"Memorial Day is the day we specifically devote to those who gave all in the cause of freedom. All of our military and veterans deserve honor for their willingness to serve and sacrifice. On Memorial Day, we especially focus on those who gave their lives throughout the nation's history.
Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Uifa'atali Amata worked with sponsor Congresswoman Stacey Plaskett, colleagues from the Territories and other key Members of Congress in introducing legislation together to better provide equitable treatment for U.S. territories in federal health care (programs like Medicaid and Medicare), named the Territories Health Equity Act of 2021 (H.R. 3434).
Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Uifa'atali Amata held a Veterans townhall meeting attended by about two dozen American Samoan Veterans at the Airport Honolulu Hotel on Sunday evening. She provided them with an update from Washington, D.C., on veterans affairs and other issues, and held a question and answer session for several hours.
Washington, D.C. – Friday, Congresswoman Uifa'atali Amata is very pleased to announce that Dorvida Fonoifafo Fuiava has been accepted to the U.S. Air Force Academy, one of the nation's prestigious Service Academies.
Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Uifa'atali Amata took part in a Wednesday hearing focused on whistleblower protections. The oversight hearing of the House Veterans' Affairs Committee's Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations examined whistleblower policies at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).
Washington, D.C. – Thursday, Congresswoman Uifa'atali Amata welcomed a $472,791 grant from the CDC for public health emergency response.
This discretionary health services grant is for the American Samoa Department of Health through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and its Center for Preparedness and Response.
"Thank you to Emergency Preparedness Director Ben Sili for his work on this project," said Congresswoman Amata. "Congratulations to Director Motusa Nua for these federal health services funds."