Dear Editor,
Most of us have lived in American Samoa and been constituents of Congresswoman Amata for the
past ten years of her public service. We know her and trust her, with good reason. We’ve been proud of her dedication and effectiveness for our islands. Moreover, that effectiveness can be proven with analysis.
Our Member of Congress, Uifa’atali Amata, consistently gets the best for our small territory through constant communication and persistence with the chairmen and leadership writing the major yearly bills. Those bills are the yearly appropriations, and the authorizations for the various departments and agencies.
These collective bills are the starting point for every federal dollar that comes into American Samoa, whether as a grant or any other means.
A great example is her six straight years of increases for our DOl operations fund for American Samoa, now $5.4 million higher after many years prior of no increases. That was accomplished without introducing a bill.
Likewise, she worked for Congress to direct $3 million to American Samoa Community College, accomplished without introducing a separate bill.
Did you know that by getting several of the bills she introduced passed she has the highest ratio of sponsored legislation that became law compared to the other territories by far?
She also still has two more House-passed bills that are likely to become law before the end of 2024,
improving that record even more, including the South Pacific Tuna Treaty Act, codifying our nation’s diplomacy helping stabilize our tuna industry, so her legislative averages will improve even more.
In a straight forward House-wide measurement, by getting three bills passed by the House in just this 118th Congress, she is one of the most effective Members in the entire House, including representatives of major U.S. cities. Typically, only powerful full committee chairmen see more bills passed in one Congress.
In fact, according to the website Govtrack, only 493 bills have passed the House this Congress. With 41 total seats, Aumua Amata passed three bills, while many Members have had no bils passed at all, and some have had one.
It’s important to realize that only six percent of bills make it to final passage, and Amata is a rare Member with a higher ratio than that average, with two more bills set to increase it.
Meanwhile, two territories will start over with freshmen Members next year, as the representatives of CNMI and Puerto Rico are not seeking to return to Congress. We can be thankful we have a senior Member with lifelong contacts in Washington to continue her work in a narrowly divided government.
The realities of legislative leadership are that most congressional work is passed as part of larger legislation, becoming a section in the bill. There are countless examples of this in Amata’s work, often fulfilling requests from American Samoa Government, such as changes to help with EB-5 requirements, getting an FAA waiver to service Manua by air, and many others.
In fiscal year 2025, American Samoa punched above our weight in congressional earmarks, getting $1.5 million ($1 million for the Airport and $500,000 for ports).
The real work of the House is done in committees, and tenure is respected and elevated in the House.
Amata is Vice Chairman of the Veterans’ Affairs Committee, and held leadership roles in each of her three committees while serving on six subcommittees. Chairmen and colleagues appointed her to lead the COFA Task Force in the Natural Resources Committee, and the Women Veterans Task Force in HVAC.
Our people know our hardworking Congresswoman, and we’re blessed to have her represent us in Washington.
Sincerely,
Frank Barron
