Washington, D.C. — Congresswoman Uifa’atali Amata emphasized and supported a Resolution by the American Samoa Senate by sending it to the leadership of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to highlight its message.

The letters, addressed to DEA Administrator Anne Milgram and FBI Director Christopher Wray, stated the following:

“I am writing to bring your attention to the attached Resolution passed by our local American Samoan Senate requesting additional aid from the FBI and DEA to address the territory’s illegal drug problem,” said Congresswoman Aumua Amata.

“I want to mirror the sentiment behind this resolution and ask that you continue to include the territories in your ongoing enforcement strategies.

“The territories are especially vulnerable due to their geographical isolation from the rest of the country and their proximity to China and other adversarial elements.

“This isolation was further exacerbated during the COVID 19 Pandemic, and I am looking forward, not only to the federal presence in the territories returning to pre-pandemic levels, but to increased cooperation between local and federal law-enforcement.

“To that end, I look forward to working with you during next year’s appropriations process to identify funding opportunities for additional resources for the territories. Fa’afetai tele lava (Thank you very much).”

(Read the full resolution by downloading attachment to this story on our website — www.samoanews.com or Facebook page.)