Washington, D.C. — Congresswoman Aumua Amata is welcoming the prompt action this week by both the U.S. Senate and President Trump, who signed H.R. 6201, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, into law. This is the second legislative response to the coronavirus, with a third major bill — estimated as a trillion-dollar investment in the economy — now in the early stages of being developed.

“American Samoa has been blessed so far, but we need to continue preparations and vigilance,” said Aumua Amata. “I will do my best to keep you informed as to how each of these legislative actions could affect American Samoa. The next bill could be one of the most significant acts of legislation of the year.”

So far, Congress has passed, and the President has signed into law two Acts: Earlier in March, the Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act, an $8 billion health-specific package that has already resulted in a $370,000 health crisis response grant for American Samoa; and this week, the$100 billion Families First Coronavirus Response Act, which begins to address food assistance, Medicaid, sick leave and unemployment insurance. These bills have set in motion a massive national effort to produce and distribute gowns, masks, gloves, cleaning and medical supplies, IV equipment and hospital beds, along with vaccine development, and producing tests for widespread use, followed by ongoing steps to help people and small businesses faces sudden economic changes.

All these steps by Congress are in addition to the President’s major announcement Friday of a national emergency declaration, which frees up another $50 billion for federal agencies to respond.

“Through these efforts, we look forward to a growing distribution of testing, and this week’s new law ensures that testing will be free,” Congresswoman Amata concluded. “For now, we all continue to follow CDC guidelines, and pray for wisdom for our nation’s top health advisers.”