Media

Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Uifa'atali Amata took part in a Tuesday hearing focused on next year's budget for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), in which VA Secretary Denis McDonough testified. In his answer to Congresswoman Amata's question, the Secretary testified on the reason the VA is preparing for a surge in health care cases. Since the U.S. population, in general, is believed to have postponed some 40 percent of doctor and other health visits during Covid-19, the VA anticipates similar percentages among Veterans.

Washington, D.C. – Wednesday, Congresswoman Uifa'atali Amata is highlighting a proposed increase in Highway funding for American Samoa that would implement a yearly boost in federal road-related funding of more than $6.8 million, taking it from the current $4.2 million to over $11 million. This would represent more than a 200 percent increase over the previous formula for the territories.

Washington, D.C. – Tuesday, Congresswoman Uifa'atali Amata announced she has teamed up with Congressman Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan (CNMI) for the reintroduction of their bipartisan Northern Mariana Islands and American Samoa College Access Act, which would provide much-needed tuition assistance to students in the islands.

Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Uifa'atali Amata last week, as part of a series of meetings while she was in Honolulu, also met with the leadership of the Spark M. Matsunaga Department of Veterans' Affairs (VA) Medical Center associated with Tripler Army Medical Center that serves so many Veterans from American Samoa.

Washington, D.C. – Friday, Congresswoman Uifa'atali Amata welcomed a major grant of $1,590,738 for American Samoa's Head Start program from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

The substantial grant from HHS is part of its emergency supplemental funding program for Head Start programs across the country. It will go to help the American Samoa Department of Education (ASDOE) administer its crucial programs for early childhood education and other health programs for low-income children and families.

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.