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Challenges of veterans in Pacific insular areas

[SN file photo]
Source: Media release, office of Congresswoman Aumua Amata

Washington, D.C. — Congresswoman Aumua Amata welcomed news that a veterans hearing will be scheduled sometime in the second session of the 115th Congress to examine the challenges of veterans in Pacific insular areas.

Congresswoman Amata led a bipartisan letter earlier this month, joined by her colleagues Congressman Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan (D-CNMI) and Congresswoman Madeleine Z. Bordallo (D-GU), to Chairman Phil Roe and Ranking Member Tim Walz of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, requesting an oversight hearing to examine the challenges facing veterans residing in American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, and elsewhere in the Pacific.

The Representatives noted that these areas suffer from minimal involvement by the national Department of Veterans’ Affairs.

Chairman Roe replied today with his intention to move forward with plans for the requested hearing in the second session of the current Congress. “Ensuring that all of our nation’s veterans have access to the health care and other services they need to live healthy, full lives is my top priority as Chairman. To that end, I would be pleased to work with you to schedule a hearing on Pacific insular area veteran access to care in the second session of the 115th Congress,” states the Chairman in his letter.

“I look forward to working with you to address the issues Pacific insular area veterans face and I thank you both for bringing their concerns to my attention and for all your hard work and leadership on behalf of America’s veterans wherever they may reside,” continued the Chairman in his reply.

“This is great news for our veterans, and I look forward to examining these issues in a hearing dedicated to that purpose,” said Aumua Amata. “I appreciate my colleagues, Congressman Sablan and Congresswoman Bordallo, who joined me in this request regarding these priorities that we share. I am especially grateful to Chairman Roe for caring deeply about our veterans, and his willingness to plan this hearing. I also want to thank Ranking Member Walz, and assure our veterans that we will continue to examine ways to improve access to health care in remote areas.”