Amata Back in Washington for Busy September in Congress

Washington, D.C. - Congresswoman Uifa'atali Amatawill be back in Washington, D.C., for a three-week September stretch of key legislative efforts, especially the need to extend appropriations beyond the upcoming end of the fiscal year, and full House consideration of bills that Amata sponsored or cosponsored.

Among the legislation to be considered next week is Aumua Amata's foreign policy bill, H.R. 6606, scheduled for a vote September 9th. This legislation, "To amend the Export Control Reform Act of 2018 relating to the state of policy," which Amata introduced last year and guided through the House Foreign Affairs Committee (HFAC), better protects the trade secrets of the United States and the administration's ability to respond.

On September 10th, Amata will take part in an oversight hearing on the implementation of the important Compacts of Free Association (COFA) agreements with the Republic of Palau (Belau), Republic of the Marshal Islands (RMI), and the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM). This hearing of the House Natural Resource Committee's Subcommittee on Indian and Insular Affairs is titled, "Examining the Implementation of the Compact of Free Association Amendments Act of 2024." Congresswoman Amata chaired the Committee's Task Force on the Indo-Pacific that thoroughly examined the COFA agreements in hearings, and successfully passed the COFA legislation into law.

Also scheduled for a full House vote next week is the bipartisan Pacific Partnership Act, H.R. 7159, of which Aumua Amata is an original cosponsor. In February, when this bill sponsored by Rep. Ed Case (D-HI) was under consideration by HFAC, Congresswoman Amata spoke in favor of it, emphasizing U.S. status and role as a Pacific Island nation, by speaking in Samoan before repeating her statement in English. The bill bolsters U.S. engagement with the Pacific Islands region, a topic which Congresswoman Amata highlights regularly.

"It's been a delight to be home in American Samoa, but I'm happy to report this progress for these legislative priorities, and this is only a snapshot of some of the news I expect to highlight in this upcoming busy stretch," said Aumua Amata. "I took part in a conference call this week with the Speaker of the House updating us on the important funding effort, and I will keep you informed of appropriations news from Washington in the coming weeks."

White House Invite to Convening

Amata is highlighting the first White House Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (NHPI) Convening, which is scheduled for this Friday, September 6^th, at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building (EEOC), part of the White House grounds.

"I appreciate this invite, and want to express my support for this effort to hear from Pacific Islanders, having twice before served on prior White House advisory boards for Asian and Pacific Islander Americans and worked on these important issues," said Congresswoman Aumua Amata. "Given the distance and flight schedules from American Samoa, where I was delighted to speak Tuesday to our ODAPM Disaster Resilience Summit, I won't be able to take part in this first convening but I welcome the effort and look forward to good reports of it."

The convening provides an opportunity for Pacific Islander leaders from across the country to engage with the administration in conjunction with the White House Initiative on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders.

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