Amata’s four OIA funding priorities advance in House Appropriations Committee
Washington, D.C. — Congresswoman Uifa’atali Amata is welcoming advancement of four of her legislative priorities in two bills, as the House is moving forward with another $1 million increase for American Samoa’s OIA Operations fund, at Amata’s request. Further, that same bill includes her requests to designate $3 million to ASCC, and to direct DOI to provide Congress with a federally funded report on Pago Pago Port improvements planning.
Another bill includes Amata’s additional $1 million earmark for the Port of Pago Pago for use in 2027 – separate from the report on future improvements. On Wednesday, the House Appropriations Committee passed both the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations bill by a vote of 35-27, and the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development (THUD) Appropriations bill by a vote of 34-27.
Upon full House and Senate passage, the $1 million addition would boost American Samoa’s operations fund to a record $30 million for the year. The separate…