Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Uifa’atali Amata is welcoming bipartisan House passage of a stopgap government funding bill, or Continuing Resolution (C.R.), that is widely expected to prevent a government shutdown, since U.S. Senate leaders have already expressed support for the temporary funding extension.

The House passed the bill readily by a 336-95 vote on Tuesday, while the potential shutdown deadline had been possible at midnight eastern time on Friday. Now, following the Senate vote, which Majority Leader Charles Schumer has promised this week, the government will be funded beyond the holidays and into early 2024.

“This is a good outcome for American Samoa as our territory relies on dependable federal funding and the services they support,” said Congresswoman Amata. “I am optimistic full year appropriations can be completed during this extension of more than two months. I am also encouraged by the bipartisan consensus in the vote, and the governing dialogue that took place. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson should be congratulated on the passage of his plan, along with many others who had input.”

The bill extends current federal funding through Jan. 19 or Feb. 2, depending on the agency or program. Federal appropriations fall into 12 bills, and under this plan four of those must be completed by Jan. 19:  Military Construction and Veterans Affairs; Agriculture, Rural Development and Food and Drug Administration; Energy and Water Development; and Transportation, Housing and Urban Development. The other eight are through Feb. 2, including the Interior Department which funds ASG in part through the Office of Insular Affairs.

Meanwhile, the C.R. extends authorization of programs in the Farm Bill to Sept. 30, effectively extending the five-year 2018 Farm Bill by a sixth year. The Farm Bill authorizes nutrition assistance programs for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, including yearly support for American Samoa’s nutrition program, but the appropriations step must still follow congressional authorization.

The House has now passed seven of the 12 bills for 2024, but they must also be passed by the Senate and reach agreement on any differences between the chambers.

Still to be resolved are continued funding efforts in support of Israel and Ukraine.

FAA AIRPORT GRANTS FOR PAGO PAGO AND MANU’A

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has sent notice of three grants totaling $1,275,537 for American Samoa’s airports allocated by formula from appropriations by Congress in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), often called the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), which Congresswoman Uifa’atali Amata supported. It was signed into law this week (Nov. 15, 2021) two years ago.

 “Thank you to Port Director Falenaoti Loi-on Fruean and everyone at American Samoa Port Authority for their efforts to provide safe and reliable airports,” Congresswoman Amata said. “As our gateways between islands, to the rest of the U.S., and the world, we all rely on these services. Congratulations to Governor Lemanu and his administration, and thank you to Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and FAA Administrator Michael Whitaker for yearly recognitions of the necessity of maintaining dependable air service in American Samoa. I will continue to work with other Members of Congress, the Biden Administration, and American Samoa Government on our funding needs.”

The breakdown of the three grants to American Samoa’s airports is as follows: $1,049,537 for Pago Pago International Airport, $113,000 for Ofu Airport, and $113,000 for Fitiuta Airport.

These economic relief funds provide support for costs including operations, personnel, cleaning, sanitization, janitorial services, debt service payments, and combating the spread of pathogens at the airport.