I'm delighted with President-elect Trump's choice for Secretary of Veterans Affairs. Dr. David Shulkin will continue to bring reform to the Department.
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Washington, D.C. –Tuesday, I successfully introduced an amendment to the House Rules, which will allow Delegates from the five U.S. territories to act as Chairman of the Committee of the Whole (COTW).
While this is just a small improvement to how the Members from the territories are able to participate in House business, it demonstrates the Republican majority’s willingness to extend our hand across the aisle and be more inclusive of the territories, who have traditionally be...en boxed out regardless of the party in the majority. This has been one of my top priorities since first being elected in 2014.
The Committee of the Whole, abbreviated for Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union, is a parliamentary device in which the entire House of Representatives are considered one congressional committee. The presiding officer (Chairman) is chosen by the Speaker of the House and is usually reserved for a member of the majority party who does not hold the chair of a standing committee.
Any victory for the territories we can get is welcomed, and this small yet significant increase in our level of participation in House business will help us continue to bridge that gap as we move forward.
I'm pictured here standing in front of the American Samoa Quarter plaque that hangs in the tunnel between the House Office Buildings, and the U.S. Capitol Building
Washington, DC –Wednesday, I issued the following statement regarding the House passage of two veterans’ bills on Tuesday.
I am encouraged that the first bills my colleagues in the House chose to address this Congress are these two Veterans’ bills, which will help improve the care our veterans receive, as well as provide accountability in the VA; when these bills were introduced in the 114th Congress, I was proud to support them out of committee. I want to thank our new Chair...man, Phil Roe (TN) and my colleagues on the VA committee for all their work on these bills and for their dedication to our nation’s veterans.
The House passed the following bills:
The Biological Implant Tracking and Veterans Safety Act directs the VA secretary to adopt the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) unique device identification system (UDI) for labeling of all biological implants and to implement an automated inventory system to ensure veterans do not receive expired or otherwise contaminated tissue. In January 2014, a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report found that the VA does not use a standardized process for tracking biological tissue from cadaver donor to living veteran recipient. In the event of a recall, it would often be impossible to track down which patient received contaminated tissue. The same GAO report detailed the Veterans Health Administration’s failure to consistently ensure they are purchasing tissue from biological implant vendors that have registered with the FDA.
The Ensuring VA Employee Accountability Act, introduced by Rep. Ryan Costello (R-PA), would require all reprimands and admonishments given to VA employees to remain in their file as long as they are employed by the Department. Under current policy, an admonishment and reprimand can only stay on an employee’s record for two and three years, respectively.
I look forward to working with the new administration and my colleagues on the Veterans Affairs Committee to ensure that our veterans’ in the territories, states, and particularly American Samoa receive the care and benefits that they have earned.
Talofa Lava! Yesterday, I was sworn in by Speaker Paul Ryan! I’m looking forward to the start of the New Year, and the 115th Congress! I am proud to continue to represent American Samoa in the House of Representatives, and look forward to working with both my new and old colleagues over the next two years to continue to promote American Samoa in Congress.
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'Merry Christmas! Yesterday I spoke about some of the blessings and things we were able to get done for our people in Congress over the past two years, and what we hope to accomplish over the next two. I'm proud to serve as your Representative, and I look forward to continuing to serve American Samoa.
O ananafi sa ou talanoa atu i ni nai o tatou fa'amanuiaga mai le alofa o le Atua ma le Konekeresi i le lua tausaga ua mavae, atoa ma ni isi fuafuaga o lo'o sauni atu mo le nofoa'iga fou i le isi lua tausaga. Ia manuia tele le Kerisimasi ma le Tausaga Fou.
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