Media

Washington, D.C. – Friday, Congresswoman Uifa'atali Amata is has urged an expansion of access to federal programs in U.S. Territories as part of a bipartisan effort in which Natural Resources Committee Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and the five territorial Members of Congress wrote to Acting Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Shalanda Young. These programs include Medicaid, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF).

Washington, D.C. – Thursday, Congresswoman Uifa'atali Amata joined Congresswoman Kathleen Rice (NY-04) in introducing two bipartisan reform bills to strengthen oversight and accountability at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

The Strengthening Oversight for Veterans Act would provide the VA Office of Inspector General with stronger mechanisms to detect and investigate waste, fraud, and abuse at the VA.

Washington, D.C. – Tuesday, Congresswoman Uifa'atali Amata is congratulating Victor Chen of American Samoa upon his third acceptance by a prestigious Service Academy. The United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, has notified Congresswoman Amata, joining previous offers of a fully qualified appointment from the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado, and the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.

Washington, D.C. – Thursday, Congresswoman Uifa'atali Amata is happy to welcome a health care grant of over $1.1 million for the American Samoa Department of Health, dedicated to the immunization and vaccines effort for children.

This grant of $1,107,823 is discretionary funding from the U.S Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), directed through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (NCIRD).

Washington, D.C. – Wednesday, Congresswoman Uifa'atali Amata has introduced a bill in the 117th Congress that would enable any U.S. National who wishes to do so to convert to U.S. citizenship through a simplified procedure with the office of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). The House bill, H.R. 1941, is co-sponsored by the members of the House from the four other U.S. island territories: Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Washington, D.C. – Tuesday, Congresswoman Uifa'atali Amata is pleased to welcome a health care grant of over $3 million for the American Samoa Department of Health.

This grant, specifically $3,064,625 for our islands' health centers, is discretionary funding from the U.S Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA).

Washington, D.C. – Monday, Congresswoman Uifa'atali Amata commemorated National Vietnam War Veterans Day, and released the following statement:

"Thank you to our Vietnam Veterans. It's an honor to work on Veterans' issues in Congress, such as the Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act, which went into effect in 2020. Like many of our people, I have family who served in the war. Thank you for serving, and may God bless each of you and our military families."

Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Uifa'atali Amata welcomed testimony and responses from Department of Veterans' Affairs (VA) Secretary Denis McDonough in a March 25 hearing. In her statement, Congresswoman Amata highlighted the needs of U.S. Veterans in the Freely Associated States (FAS), distant from common VA facilities. Her separate question to the Secretary focused on the need for interagency cooperation to expand availability of services for Veterans in American Samoa and elsewhere.