Washington, D.C. — Congresswoman Aumua Amata, took to the witness table twice on Thursday at Member’s day hearings for two separate appropriations subcommittees, who for the last two weeks have been holding Member’s Day hearings, so that House Members may testify before each subcommittee regarding the needs of their districts.

The Congresswoman first addressed the Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing & Urban Development (THUD) stating, “As you may know, American Samoa lies in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, south of the equator.  We are the most remote U.S. territory or state and our infrastructure needs reflect that gulf in distance.”

The Congresswoman continued to address American Samoa’s infrastructure needs, saying, “American Samoa is also suffering from dangerous roads and other traffic infrastructure safety issues that must be addressed soon. Because our small islands, which are roughly the same size as Washington, D.C., are hit with extremely powerful typhoons every year, the infrastructure is in constant need of repair.  The lack of sufficient funding in the past has caused many of the much needed repairs to go undone.”

Amata also mentioned the need for an airport tower at Pago Pago Intl Airport, “Currently, any air traffic that flies into or out of American Samoa, or even between the islands in my home district, must do so under the air traffic authority of Independent Samoa, due to the lack of an Air Traffic Control Tower in the territory…This includes the CODEL that was just there two weeks ago.”

The goal of the Congresswoman’s effort is to increase the funding levels for those appropriations accounts that benefit the territories and specifically American Samoa, such as the Territorial Highway Improvements account, which funds all road projects in the territories.

Following her testimony to the THUD subcommittee, the Congresswoman rushed directly to her Natural Resources Committee hearing on infrastructure improvement in Native American and Territorial lands.  She questioned Acting Assistant Secretary Nikolao Pula on how American Samoa can continue to receive Capital Improvement Project funds. The funds are used on various territorial projects, from education to transportation.

 “American Samoa in particular is engaged in never-ending fight to make sure that our islands are on equal footing as the states and other territories. The Capital Improvement Project allows us to alleviate some of our funding issues, going no only towards healthcare projects, but also education, transportation, and other infrastructure projects, and I would love to see the grant program not only continue, but possibly be expanded,” stated Amata in her statement during the hearing.