In her remarks at the meeting of the Interagency Group on Insular Affairs (IGIA) on Wednesday Congresswoman Uifa’atali Amata tied American Samoa’s local infrastructure and economic efforts including fishing to overall U.S. security and regional objectives.
She thanked the administration not only for the April 17, 2025, Executive Order reopening fishing in the PRIMNM but for the ongoing commitment to defend that effort from litigation, as fishing strengthens American Samoa’s economy and U.S. food security.
“I remain confident that we won’t allow this to fall to the wayside, and we’ll soon restore common-sense, responsible fishing to the area,” she said.
In keeping with that priority, she called on the administration to support a permanent American Samoa economic development credit in the next round of tax and budget reconciliation legislation.
She highlighted the key role of the Western Pacific Fisheries Management Council in decisions regarding waters and stewardship, which follow the health of fish stocks. “They have historically determined the fishing boundaries around our islands based on science and long-term viability of fish stocks,” she noted. “I do not sit on or vote in the council, but Congress has put their trust in their judgment for over 50 years through the Magnuson Stevenson Act. We all have opinions, but they have the actual science, and we look to them for our final decisions on sustainable fishing practices.”
After remarks detailing the Pacific strategic efforts of China’s People’s Liberation Army and a sequence of events showing their activities in the Pacific Islands, she emphasized the need for American Samoa’s own air traffic control tower, saying, “An air traffic control tower is urgently important to our national security. In the current socio-political climate, it simply does not make sense for an American territory to be relying on another country to monitor our airspace and surrounding area.”
She reiterated her longstanding advocacy for a stronger Coast Guard presence, noting Governor’s Pula’s support for the same policy position, while “China’s own coast guard has been operating far into the Pacific allowing their fishing fleets to move in intimidating droves on the high seas.”
Congress recently passed the NDAA, followed by 2026 Defense appropriations, with an increase of $20 billion in support for Indo-Pacific operations. “I know this administration takes the threat of Chinese influence seriously, but this enemy doesn’t sleep,” Congresswoman Amata said. “As is often said, ‘war is won on logistics’ and to that end, I also want to encourage further investment in territorial infrastructure.”
Pointing to healthcare as a priority, she noted piecemeal improvements over the years to the LBJ Tropical Medical Center, founded in 1968, but said “the facility remains woefully out of date. A healthy country is a strong country, and Americans in the territories deserve quality medical treatment.”
Encouraging multiple federal departments including DOI, DOC, and DoD to work together holistically to strengthen economic and critical infrastructure capacity in American Samoa, she declared, “investing in the port of Pago would be a solid place to start and is a win-win for national security and our local economy.”
In closing, she called for the administration’s support for her bill H.R. 6158, the American Samoa Statutory Nationality and Citizenship Act, which streamlines bureaucratic hurdles for individual U.S. Nationals from American Samoa seeking to convert to full citizenship. U.S. Nationals owe permanent allegiance to the United States and have all the same rights and responsibilities as citizens; except we cannot vote in federal elections and do not qualify for select federal positions such as those with high level security clearances.
“DOD has indicated that a legislative fix would be a good recruitment and retention tool, allowing enlisted American Samoans to be promoted to officer rank and reducing bureaucratic hurdles for their dependents,” Amata said. “We are currently at a stage when everyone needs to come together to move America forward, and passage of H.R. 6158 will allow a small but fiercely loyal group of Americans to better participate in the country.”
