Governor Pulaaii Nikolao Pula says he signed the Fiscal Year 2026 budget bill “not out of convenience but out of commitment to the well-being of our workforce and the stability of our homeland.”
In an official statement on his action regarding the budget bill, the Governor said, “This decision is not for ourselves but for the 5,500 employees of the American Samoa Government and their families who rely on the stability of government operations.
“The budget approval ensures that our government will continue to function, that paychecks will be delivered, and the families will be supported,” he said. “At the end of the day, my responsibility is to the people of American Samoa.”
Governor Pula’alii said he plans to allocate the amount of $519,000—by which revenues exceeded expenditures in furtherance of his constitutional authority over appointments, administration, and supervision of executive offices and personnel, as provided under Article IV Section 7 of the Revised Constitution of American Samoa.
“While I have approved this budget with my constitutional authority, I do so mindful that the decisions we make will affect thousands of lives. The Lieutenant Governor and I have observed the federal government enter a shutdown, and we are determined to find a way to limit the crisis here in our homeland.”
The governor’s statement provides a summary of the executive budget proposal alongside the legislative proposal for full transparency.
The FY 2026 Budget Summary shows a slight overall reduction of $7.8 million (1.0%) from the Executive’s proposal of $815.4 million to the Legislature’s approved $807.6 million. KHJ News points out that the $815.4 million figure is the original amount contained in the executive summary of the budget. However, after the Budget Office made changes to the budgets of some department which had errors, the figure was reduced. The final budget bill that the Governor signed into law lists the total budget amount at $808,074,113.
