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Lolo offers help to federal employees affected by shutdown

Gov. Lolo Matalasi Moliga
Meanwhile, federal agencies given the green light to reopen for 3 weeks only
fili@samoanews.com

Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — Gov. Lolo Matalasi Moliga is working on an ASG program to provide aid to local federal employees affected by the partial federal government shutdown, which lasted for more than 30 days and has ended — for now — under a deal reached last Friday between US President Donald Trump and the US Congress allowing affected federal agencies to re-open for only three weeks.

In a statement released by the Governor’s Office last Friday morning, Lolo noted that many expatriate and local federal employees and their families are experiencing financial difficulties due to the partial federal shutdown — which began Dec. 22, 2018.

And the American Samoa Government is identifying ways to aid these impacted federal employees — working on a program to help local federal workers impacted by the shutdown.

“This is an extremely difficult time for our federal public servants,” the governor said. “Fortunately, the majority of our ASG employees have not been affected but there are some who aren’t as fortunate.”

In order to identify the unmet needs of residing federal employees, the Governor’s Office requests that all individuals who work full time for the federal government “and currently receive no other substantial source of income”, contact the Governor’s Office starting today, Jan. 28th at 633-4116 or come in and ask for Jerome Ierome “to address your specific needs and determine how best to assist you and your family in your current financial plight,” the governor said.

Lolo has expressed his “grave concerns” for the welfare of federal employees, saying, “our cultural values and our way of life would not allow us to sit idle while others in our community are suffering the consequences of political decisions not of their making.

“It is natural therefore, for us to come together to provide support and help to those federal employees whose lives have been disrupted and placed in turmoil,” Lolo concluded.

Asked if the Governor’s Office will proceed with the program, even though a short-term solution has been reached in Washington D.C., a senior ASG official told Samoa News over the weekend that the “governor will provide assistance to those severely impacted by the shutdown, if they seek help.”

Another ASG official said the deal that was reached at the federal level is only three-weeks and the Lolo Administration wants to remain prepared for another possible shutdown.

Last Friday morning, Washington D.C. time, Trump announced around 2:17p.m  Washington D.C time (which was around 7:17a.m last Friday American Samoa time) that he would sign legislation to re-open affected federal agencies, according to the White House transcript of the President’s address.

“I will sign a bill to open our government for three weeks until February 15th. I will make sure that all employees receive their back pay very quickly, or as soon as possible,” the President declared. “It’ll happen fast.”

According to The Associated Press, the deal Trump reached with Congressional leaders does not contain money to build a wall along with the US-Mexico border — the President had closed the government down partially because their was no money for the wall in the funding bill.