MIL USHOR-2b Engine

Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative for Western Samoa Congresswoman Aumua Amata

Headline: Amata Emphasizes Congressional Intent for $3 Million ASCC Funding She Requested

Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Uifa’atali Amata is emphasizing Congress’s intent that $3 million go to American Samoa Community College (ASCC) out of the yearly ASG Operations Fund from the Office of Insular Affairs (OIA), which receives $29 million for American Samoa from Congress through Interior Appropriations.

Group picture at ASCC with educators and congressional staff

These funds have been secured for fiscal year 2026, and Congresswoman Amata has testified about these funds, requesting an overall increase, for the upcoming fiscal year 2027 appropriations process. 

For the past three years, at Congresswoman Amata’s request, $3 million of the Operations Fund is to be allocated to ASCC, as passed by Congress. The fund is currently $29 million, so the remaining $26 million of the fund is still an increase of several million over past funding. The fund has been boosted by Congress most years since fiscal year 2018, due to Amata’s yearly efforts.

“I greatly appreciate Chairman Tom Cole of the Appropriations Committee ensuring that our ASCC report language was included, and accompanies the final version passed into law,” said Congresswoman Amata. “This expresses clear congressional intent, worded in the manner common to Washington legislative report language, conveying the spending instructions and expectations of the Appropriations Act.”

“I know our college personnel and faculty are doing good work with their limited resources,” continued Aumua Amata. “These funds should make a visible difference for our campus, classrooms, equipment and scholarship efforts – all to help our students take their next step.”

“In making these funding requests to influential Chairmen and senior Members of Congress, I always emphasize our islands’ record of service, our population of veterans and military families, and the realities of our island economy, and these considerations are the underlying basis for this appropriation to benefit our college,” said Aumua Amata. “ASCC is a major priority as accessing college education can be a real financial and geographic challenge for our students.”

“What better way to make use of operations funds than by investing in our territory’s college and students?” Amata concluded. “We want to empower every high school graduate with achievable options to consider here in our own islands.”

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman David Scott (GA-13)

WASHINGTON D.C. – Today, Congressman David Scott (GA-13), a senior member of the House Agriculture and House Financial Services Committees, announced a list of twenty Community Project Funding priorities in the 13^th Congressional District for the Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 appropriations cycle.

Each Fiscal Year, Members of Congress can request Federal funding from the House Committee on Appropriations for up to fifteen community projects in their home districts. As part of that process, Congressman David Scott solicited requests through stakeholder meetings and member level engagement and submitted the list of projects outlined below. These Federal dollars provide vital resources to improve transportation and water infrastructure, enhance public safety, and help veterans access lifesaving health care.

“In every vote I cast and every bill I fight for, my focus is simple: delivering results for the people I represent in the 13^th District,” said Congressman David Scott. The nearly $32 million in Federal funding I have requested is going directly back into our neighborhoods—to repair roads, modernize schools, expand access to clean water, and create good-paying jobs. These priorities represent crucial investments in infrastructure and services that will strengthen our communities and bolster local economies for Georgians. I look forward to working closely with officials from across the district on each request to ensure we address the needs of the hard-working families we serve.”

Congressman Scott’s projects include:

Project: Gwinnett Hidden Forest Water Main Replacement

Description: The Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners would use this funding to replace and construct approximately 4,500 feet of pipe to replace substandard drinking water distribution mains in the Hidden Forest neighborhood.

Project: Newton County Alcovy Pump Station Improvement Project

Description: Newton County would use this funding to replace existing raw water pumps, repair the Alcovy Pump station deck, and install new electrical feed equipment to increase water supply by 4.5 million of gallons per day.

Project: Lawrenceville Redland Creek Greenway – phase I

Description: The City of Lawrenceville would use this funding to develop a pedestrian and multi-use trail connecting downtown Lawrenceville and the Gwinnett County Discovery Park, ensuring ADA accessibility.

Project: Stockbridge Willow Springs Drinking Water Replacement Project

Description: The City of Stockbridge would use this funding to replace failing water distribution pipes and replace lead service lines with new, lead-free service line.

Project: Gwinnett Accessible Pedestrian Upgrades Project

Description: The Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners would use this funding to make several pedestrian improvements in high-traffic areas, including the installation of accessible pedestrian signals, crosswalk infrastructure and curb ramps.

Project: Rockdale County Trail and Parks Safety Project

Description: Rockdale County would use this funding to install safety cameras at parks, trailheads, and along trails in the county and purchase all-terrain vehicles to improve safety and security within Rockdale County parks and trails, deterring vandalism and illegal dumping while assisting law enforcement with reliable footage and allowing parks staff to patrol trails.

Project: Clayton Police Department Real Time Crime Center Expansion Project

Description: The Clayton County Police Department would use this funding to upgrade its real-time crime center, including closed circuit television monitoring, license plate reader systems, flock camera integration, real-time video monitoring and analytics, and data sharing equipment.

Project: Henry County Schools Food Hub Project

Description: The Henry County Public Schools Foundation would use this funding to establish a no-cost, school-based food hub, including installing shelving, refrigeration inventory-tracking software, and other equipment needed to develop a food hub.

Project: Jonesboro Accessible Playground Project

Description: The City of Jonesboro would use this funding to make upgrades to Massengale Park, a park centrally located near one of the busiest commercial areas in the city, to improve accessibility under the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Project: Rockdale County Accessible Outdoor Improvements – Phase I Project

Description: Rockdale County Public Schools would use this funding to implement phase I of a capital project improving access to outdoor learning and community-facing school spaces, including for students with disabilities.

Project: Stockbridge Willow Springs Clean Water Project

Description: The City of Stockbridge would use this funding to replace wastewater infrastructure in the Willow Springs Neighborhood. Specifically, the project will replace 2,245 linear feet of force main and upgrade manhole and air release infrastructure.

Project: Snellville Downtown and Briscoe Park Connecting Trail Project

Description: The City of Snellville would use this funding to develop 2,000 linear feet of paved trail to connect Briscoe Park with Snellville’s newly revitalized downtown to provide greater access to downtown Snellville, connecting private business, community centers, and recreational opportunities.

Project: Newton County Health Equipment Project

Description: The Newton County Board of Commissioners would use this funding to purchase Stryker Cardiac Monitors, Lucas CPR Devices and training units, and service plans for the devices to allow Newton County first responders to better respond to public emergencies and provide critical care.

Project: Gwinnett County School-Based Health Center

Description: Gwinnett County Public Schools would use this funding to renovate a school-based health center and purchase capital equipment including exam tables and high intensity lighting to provide health services to Gwinnett students.

Project: Lovejoy Multi-Modal Safety & Economic Connectivity Project

Description: The City of Lovejoy would use this funding to improve pedestrian and commuter safety along commercial corridors, including sidewalk connectivity, pedestrian crossing improvements, installation of lighting infrastructure, and ADA-compliant ramps.

Project: Lovejoy Public Safety Equipment Project

Description: The City of Lovejoy would use this funding to purchase police cruisers, license plate readers, a radar unit, laser speed detection devices, and storm warning system software to better enforce laws, respond to crime, and inform law enforcement operations during extreme weather events.

Project: Regional Impact Health Foundation Workforce Development and Health Support Mobile Unit

Description: The Regional Impact Health Foundation would use this funding to purchase a 38-foot mobile unit including private intake rooms, a medical exam room, ADA accessibility features, wheelchair lift, check-in station, and cabinetry to provide job placement services, physical therapy, and behavior health support.

Project: Rockdale County Fire Safety Training Complex Project

Description: Rockdale County would use this funding to construct a Fire Safety Training Complex to allow local law enforcement and other first responders to train in fire safety more easily, improving recruitment and retention and helping first responders better respond to fire emergencies.

Project: University of Georgia Research Infrastructure

Description: The University of Georgia would use this funding to purchase lateral-move irrigation systems, upgrade electrical and control systems, and purchase research and data collection systems to improve agricultural research and practices in Georgia.

Project: MARTA Mobility Paratransit Fleet Modernization and Reliability Initiative

Description: The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority would use this funding to replace two MARTA Mobility paratransit vehicles that have exceeded their federally defined useful life to provide paratransit services for individuals with disabilities.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Jared Huffman Representing the 2nd District of California

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09)

Timelines have lapsed and required administrative procedures are not being followed

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Chris Pappas (D-NH)

Today during his opening remarks at a House Veterans’ Affairs Committee Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity oversight hearing, Congressman Chris Pappas (NH-01), Ranking Member of the Subcommittee, underscored the need to take comprehensive action to tackle the housing crisis that is impacting veterans in New Hampshire and across the country.

Pappas began: “We know that housing prices, along with pretty much every other expense a family faces, like energy and groceries, continue to rise. As veterans spend more money at the pump and at the grocery store, they have less to spend on rent, their mortgage, or to save for a down payment. From what I hear constantly from my constituents, and I’m sure this applies to all of my colleagues too, affordability concerns aren’t a hoax—they’re a huge concern of Americans, and I’m thankful that we’re holding this hearing in recognition of that.” 

Underscoring the need for comprehensive legislation like the updated 21st Century Road to Housing Act, he continued: “That’s why we need a whole-of-government approach to tackle the housing crisis, lower costs for veterans and all Americans, and put homeownership back within reach for everyone. We should explore comprehensive policies that would provide real savings, tangible affordability, and accessibility to home loans for veterans. We need to focus on legislative packages like the updated, Senate-passed 21st Century Road to Housing Act which House leadership has yet to put to the floor for a vote. This bipartisan bill includes bills I helped introduce and would cut red tape to build more housing, strengthen assistance to middle-class homeowners for improvements and repairs, and expand access to the VA Home Loan program by ensuring veterans are made aware of the benefit during the loan application stage.” 

Highlighting examples of successful efforts in New Hampshire, Pappas said: “In my state of New Hampshire, we’re moving in that direction: we have a first-in-the-nation veterans campus in Franklin, which is a partnership between the private sector, government, and the nonprofit community, funded with federal dollars and providing critical housing for our veterans. We’re empowering our non-profit and VSO partners, including Harbor Care, that have stepped up to fill a need for emergency, transitional, and permanent housing for veterans.  

“Let’s also focus on what this hearing should be about: affordability, and that big-picture conversation about how to bring down costs and make life better for veterans and all Americans,” he concluded.

Last week Pappas called on House leadership to bring the Senate-passed 21st Century Road to Housing legislative package up for a vote. This bipartisan, bicameral legislation includes several bills Pappas co-leads and supports to increase access to home loans, cut red tape, and lower costs to build housing, including the VA Home Loan Awareness Act to help more veterans take advantage of the VA Home Loan program. 

WATCH THE HEARING HERE.

Background: 

New Hampshire is on track to be 90,000 units of housing short in the next decade, while the median home sale price in the state has risen to over half a million dollars.

Pappas has worked to ensure Granite State communities have the resources they need to increase the affordable housing stock and tackle the housing crisis. In April, he helped introduce the bipartisan Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act to support affordable housing financing and development by expanding and strengthening the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit. He also co-leads the Supporting Projects to Unleash Residential (SPUR) Housing Act to lower the cost of building new housing developments through a grant program to offset state and local impact fees. In 2024, he and the New Hampshire delegation welcomed more than $30 million in federal grants to build more affordable housing across the Granite State.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Joe Neguse (D-Co 2)

“The deal is outrageous. It’s devastating for local news, devastating for consumers, devastating for freedom of the press. But perhaps most problematic of all, Mr. Speaker, it is unlawful.”

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Hakeem Jeffries (8th District of New York)

Today, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries appeared on MS NOW’s The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell, where he emphasized that while the Trump administration is brutalizing American citizens and entering a reckless war of choice, House Democrats remain committed to making life more affordable for the American people.

LAWRENCE O’DONNELL: Leading off our discussion tonight is House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries. Thank you very much for joining us tonight. Mr. Leader. I want to begin with the TSA issue, which seems to be Donald Trump’s latest move on this. Is it possible for the Department of Homeland Security to actually fund TSA the way Donald Trump seems to be suggesting they will?

LEADER JEFFRIES: Yes, you know, what’s interesting, Lawrence, in their One Big Ugly Bill, which, of course, ripped away Medicaid from at least 14 million Americans and literally took food from the mouths of hungry children, seniors and veterans because of the fact that they enacted the largest cut to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance in American history. They gave $191 billion to DHS. 10 billion of that can be used any way that Donald Trump and the Department of Homeland Security wants. And so over the last 41 days, effectively, Donald Trump has chosen not to pay TSA when ordering Republicans to shut down the Department of Homeland Security. And so he’s always had this ability, but clearly he wanted to hold TSA agents and the American people hostage across the country while creating chaos at airports, trying to get Democrats to back away from our position.

LAWRENCE O’DONNELL: So, I mean, you know, I’ve been trying to make it clear that Senate Democrats have been voting every day, every day to fund TSA. Every day of these long lines, Senate Democrats have been trying to vote to fund it, and Republicans in the Senate have blocked it. Sometimes it’s hard to tell out there. People, you know, out there following these things, standing in a line for four hours in an airport. Who’s to blame for this? It’s those people in Washington. Tonight, Donald Trump has just said, ‘It’s up to me. I did it, and I can now undo it in effect.’ Isn’t that what we’ve learned from Donald Trump tonight?

LEADER JEFFRIES: That’s exactly what we’ve seen. And House and Senate Democrats over the last several weeks have repeatedly made clear that we need to reopen every other aspect of the Department of Homeland Security, TSA and FEMA and the Coast Guard and our cybersecurity professionals, every other aspect of the Department of Homeland Security, other than, of course, ICE, which needs to be brought under control. And we’ve also made clear we are not going to fund Donald Trump’s extreme and violent mass deportation machine. But Republicans who control the House, the Senate and the presidency made the determination that they want to hold TSA agents hostage and forced them for weeks now to work without pay when Donald Trump at any point over the last 41 days could have made clear that they need to get paid. Thankfully, we’ve now compelled him to do just that.

LAWRENCE O’DONNELL: So Donald Trump’s statements to the Senate were two things. One, don’t vote for funding TSA unless the Democrats vote for funding ICE. But also, he was telling them, do not vote on anything except the voting legislation that Donald Trump wants, that require passports, birth certificates and other things to vote that we’ve never needed before. And also hands over every state’s voting rules to Donald Trump’s Department of Homeland Security, which—that does not, as far as we know, have the votes, even the necessary Republican votes in the Senate, to pass it, but that’s what Donald Trump has been saying the Senate should be doing instead of funding TSA.

LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, that’s correct. In fact, as you pointed out, Lawrence, Donald Trump has said, don’t do anything. We’re dealing with an affordability crisis in the United States of America. We’ve got this reckless war of choice that we’ve got to end, that Donald Trump has gotten into. They’re spending billions of dollars to drop bombs in the Middle East, but are unwilling to spend a dime to actually make life more affordable for the American people. And then on top of all of that, he’s trying to jam the so-called SAVE America Act down the throats of the American people. This is voter suppression on steroids, and it doesn’t have the pass—votes to pass the Senate, and of course, in the House, was strongly opposed by Democrats, and we will continue to do so. We’re going to do everything we need to do to make sure, Lawrence, that there’s a free and fair election in November. And when that happens, Democrats are taking back control of the House of Representatives, and Senate Democrats are on a path to do the same thing.

LAWRENCE O’DONNELL: What’s your reaction to Donald Trump today in the Cabinet Room when he’s asked about negotiations to end the war that he started, and he says, I don’t care?

LEADER JEFFRIES: Yeah, that was an incredible thing for him to say. Effectively, he was saying, I don’t really care about the hardship that is being inflicted on the American people. We’ve seen gas prices are skyrocketing out of control in an environment where people are already struggling to live paycheck to paycheck. Many Americans can’t thrive and can barely survive. Donald Trump could care less about it, and he said that in his own words today from the White House. At the same period of time, apparently, he could care less about the fact that thousands of troops are being put into harm’s way in this reckless war of choice. And American lives, heroes, patriots, have already lost their lives up until this point. And yet, Donald Trump doesn’t care.

LAWRENCE O’DONNELL: Congressman Hakeem Jeffries, thank you very much for joining us tonight.

LEADER JEFFRIES: Thank you much.

Full interview can be watched here.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Steve Scalise (1st District of Louisiana)

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Today on the House floor, before 206 Democrats voted against funding the Department of Homeland Security, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) called out Democrats for prolonging Americans’ suffering. Leader Scalise highlighted Democrat hypocrisy by pointing to Hakeem Jeffries’ past remarks, calling it ‘legislative malpractice’ to not fully fund DHS.’

Click here or the image above to view Leader Scalise’s full remarks.  
Highlights from Leader Scalise’s remarks:“I rise in strong support of Congressman Ciscomani’s bill to fund the Department of Homeland Security. And Madam Speaker, this is a bill that should have passed weeks and weeks ago. In fact, today will mark the third time that this House has voted to fully fund the department. In case you want to know how that vote went, there’s been a record vote twice already in the House. You can see who’s voting yes to fund TSA agents, to fund the people at the Department of Homeland Security who work every day to keep us safe here in America – all the Republicans, almost every Republican voting yes, every one on March 5th. Almost every Democrat voted no on March 5th, voted no to shut the department down. The Democrats shut this down, Madam Speaker.“January 22nd was the first vote. Almost a party-line vote. Republicans voting yes to fund the department. Democrats voting no. March 5th, same thing. Republicans voting yes to fund the department, Democrats overwhelmingly voting no to shut it down.“Now, there is a day today where they can seek redemption and stand up for those workers, the TSA agents who are showing up for work and not getting paid. Do you know that if you’re a TSA agent in America, this fiscal year, Madam Speaker, you have gone 49% of this year without a paycheck? That’s disgraceful…“At my home airport in New Orleans, people were sleeping overnight so they’d have a chance to make their flight. There are people waiting over 3 hours and still missing a flight, Madam Speaker, to go maybe on a family vacation, maybe they’ve got to go to a funeral or a wedding. This is disrupting the lives of real people. Let me tell you what the TSA [Deputy Administrator] testified to yesterday, just yesterday. The TSA [Deputy Administrator] told lawmakers that their agents have ‘received eviction notices, lost their childcare, missed bill payments, and been charged late fees, damaged their credit, defaulted on loans, and have been unable to even qualify for a loan to help ease the financial burden during the shutdown.’ That was testimony given yesterday, and it’s totally avoidable. That kind of pain should not be inflicted on our federal workers….“We’re going to give [Democrats] an opportunity to do the right thing because the American people are sick and tired of it, and they should be. But there’s going to be a moment of accountability real soon. In about an hour, America will be able to see who’s voting yes to fund these people that are working so hard and who’s voting no to keep the chaos going, to keep the long lines going.“Now, I’d like to say I’m going to read you some good news. I want to read you a quote from Hakeem Jeffries. Madam Speaker, I think this is an important quote that everybody should listen to right now. This is Hakeem Jeffries, and I quote, ‘We are here today to do a single job, and that should be to fund fully the Department of Homeland Security. Anything else is an abdication of our responsibility. Anything else is an act of legislative malpractice. We’re playing political games at a time when the safety and the security of the American people is being threatened.’ That’s Hakeem Jeffries, Madam Speaker. Unfortunately, that was Hakeem Jeffries from February of 2015. What happened to that Hakeem Jeffries? How will Hakeem Jeffries of 2026 vote? The previous two times, we know, Madam Speaker, the vote was no. But in 2015, said it would be an act of malpractice to shut this department down.”

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Dan Newhouse (4th District of Washington)

Headline: Newhouse Votes to Fund Department of Homeland Security  

For Immediate Release: March 26, 2026
Contact: Juan Ayala, (202) 713-7750

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Rep. Dan Newhouse released the following statement after passage of H.R. 8029, Pay Our Homeland Defenders Act. The legislation passed by a vote of 218-206.

“It’s Groundhog Day on Capitol Hill. Once again, the House of Representatives has passed a bill to fund the Department of Homeland Security and pay TSA agents, Coast Guardsmen, FEMA employees, and CISA agents,” said Rep. Newhouse. “This legislation makes our country safer and safeguards the American public from cyberthreats, terrorism, foreign adversaries, and illegal immigration. Unfortunately, Democrats are jeopardizing critical national security programs to try and advance nonsensical reforms to immigration enforcement. Congress has a Constitutional responsibility to fund the federal government and I urge the Senate to act swiftly to end the DHS shutdown.”
 

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Aumua Amata (Western Samoa)

Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Uifa’atali Amata welcomed official notification of a cooperative agreement providing full federal funding of $30,706,273 from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for American Samoa Power Authority (ASPA), for multiple water infrastructure projects. The funding is based on several legislative authorizations from Congress. Of these funds, $800,000 is set aside for EPA to develop a Waste and Wastewater Asset Management System, leaving approximately $30 million ($29,906,273) for the rest of the plan.

Congresswoman Aumua Amata at a Capitol press conference – file photo

“This is excellent news! Congratulations to Governor Pulaali’i, Lt. Governor Pulu, and especially the entire team at ASPA, and anyone who worked on this planning at any prior stage. I know these priority projects will benefit our people, water infrastructure, and the quality of services. Thank you to EPA for this support which can make a difference in American Samoa, providing safer water for many years to come,” said Congresswoman Aumua Amata. 

Congressional authorization for these funds is rooted in landmark legislation, the Clean Water Act and the Safe Drinking Water Act, which celebrated 50 years bipartisan support in 2024, with this funding more recently derived from the Omnibus Territory Act and the Infrastructure Investment and jobs Act, often known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which Congresswoman Amata publicly supported throughout its congressional process. It was signed into law Nov. 15, 2021. 

The funds supply the American Samoa’s Environmental Protection Consolidated Grant for Insular Areas Program, and BIL/Drinking Water and Clean Water State Revolving Fund Water Infrastructure Projects.

This year’s award will fund design and construction for tank installation and replacement, waterline replacement, sewer lift station rehabilitation/replacement, setting up Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition (SCADA) for the drinking water system, sewer system extension, and wastewater treatment improvements.

The proposed projects are taken from the USEPA approved ASEPA project priority list, however, the specific project priorities may change through the years dependent on the need of addressing protection of human health and the environment. The proposed projects will focus on tank installation and improvements, waterline replacement, well and booster station upgrades, setting up SCADA for the satellite water systems, new water treatment systems, and asset management.

The water system improvement projects’ primary objectives include replacing old leaking water mains, upgrading undersized mains, improving water treatment and thus reducing public health risks, reducing operations and maintenance costs, improving useful life of assets, and managing water sources for future generations.

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