The American Samoa Chamber of Commerce Congressional Forum with the three women running for American Samoa’s seat in Congress was a subdued and polite affair.
Only chamber members attended the forum held at the Baptist Wayland University’s premises in the Georgina Building on the Fagaima Road, but a few hundred watched it on live stream. Provided by Bluesky.
The questions which were from chamber members covered economic development, education, US American Samoa relations, labor force training and others.
Incumbent Congresswoman Aumua Amata and first time congressional candidate Dr Oreta Tufaga Mapu- Crichton were joined via VTC by Meleagi Suitonu Chapman who is stranded off island due to the pandemic.
The question that got animated responses from Aumua Amata and Mapu Crichton was the one relating repatriation. What is your plan for helping our residents stranded off island return home while continuing to protect the territory from infection as cases continue to rise in the US mainland and Hawaii.
Aumua Amata was the first to answer.
Mapu-Crichton, who was a member of the Coronavirus Task Force while she was Chief Procurement Officer said the Department of Health, LBJ and the Task have worked hard to utilize the emergency funds emergency awarded to American Samoa.
She added that these funds were earmarked for every state and territory, “so we’re not going to be left out.”
She stated that during the negotiations for the funding it would be important to see what does and doesn’t work for American Samoa.
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Aumua Amata immediately responded that earmarks are now illegal in Congress and countered that getting the COVID emergency funds were the result of hard negotiations.
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Meleagi Suitonu Chapman said both Oreta and Aumua were right and shared what she would do if he was American Samoa’s Delegate.
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