“I want to thank the people of American Samoa for their continued support and prayers,” Congressman Faleomavaega.  “For the past eight elections, you have elected me to serve as your Delegate in Congress.  As a result of your support, American Samoa now holds the 3rd highest ranking Democratic seat on the House Committee on Resources.”

       “The House Resources Committee is responsible for all matters regarding the insular areas, and this includes funding for American Samoa.  For many years, there have been many attempts to cut American Samoa’s funding but I am pleased that for the past 14 years my colleagues on the Resources Committee have been supportive of my efforts to save American Samoa’s funding,” Faleomavaega said.

       “To this day, American Samoa continues to be the only insular area that receives funding for the operations of its government and I am hopeful that in the 108th Congress our Republican and Democratic friends will continue to support our needs.  The House Committee on Resources will play a pivotal role in this process.”

       “In fact, all matters pertaining to American Samoa and the other insular areas are handled by the full Committee on Resources,” Congressman Faleomavaega said.  “Put another way, there is no Subcommittee on Insular Affairs and there is no Subcommittee on Territories.  All matters specifically pertaining to American Samoa are handled by the full Committee on Resources and American Samoa now holds the 3rd most senior Democratic seat on this Committee.”

       “The House Committee on Resources is made up of five Subcommittees.  These Subcommittees are Fisheries, Energy, National Parks, Forests, and Water.  In addition to my assignment on the full Committee on Resources, I will also be serving on the Subcommittee on Energy and the Subcommittee on Fisheries,” Faleomavaega said.

       “Given that American Samoa’s economy is more than 80% dependent, either directly or indirectly, on the tuna fishing and processing industries, I am very pleased to have the opportunity to once again serve on the Fisheries Subcommittee.  The Fisheries Subcommittee has responsibility for commercial fisheries, international fisheries agreements, aquaculture, seafood safety and fisheries promotion.  The Fisheries Subcommittee also works with the National Sea Grant College program.”

       “Because these issues are relevant to American Samoa, I am pleased to be a member of the Fisheries Subcommittee,” Congressman Faleomavaega said.  “Last year, we were able to successfully establish a Sea Grant presence and an aquaculture project in American Samoa and I am also hopeful that this year there will be new opportunities to expand our tilapia and giant clam projects.”

       “As we begin this new year, I want to once more express my thanks to the people of American Samoa for their support and prayers and confidence.  These are historic times for American Samoa.  Together we are making a difference and, as always, I will do my best to serve your needs,” the Congressman concluded.