Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — House Representative Fagaima Larry Sanitoa is asking Congresswoman Uifa’atali Aumua Amata for help in requesting deadline extensions for ARPA funded projects. The projects are facing a December 31, 2026 deadline to be completed or lose the remaining funding.

Governor Pulaali’i Nikolao Pula made his own request in October 2026 to the U.S. Department of the Treasury for a six-month extension to complete the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) projects. 

Fagaima, in his letter dated November 6, 2026, first offered his congratulations to Congresswoman Amata on her re-election to US Congress for a 7th term, and wished her “continued success in ensuring that distance never diminishes the attention our people deserve.“

(In an aside: Fagaima has also won his re-election bid for local House representative during last week’s general elections.)

In his letter, the faipule requested her “urgent assistance in securing a legislative extension of the deadline for completing American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) projects and expending the funds committed to them. Many projects in American Samoa remain unfinished, and the December 31, 2026 expenditure deadline is now less than two months away.“

He noted that the financial stakes were substantial, and extending the availability of funding is essential.

“In January, the Director of the ARPA Oversight Office reported to the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee that $134.3 million remained from American Samoa’s $494.9 million award. Although that figure requires updating to reflect subsequent expenditures, it underscores the importance of protecting the remaining funds and the public investments they support.“

The Tualauta faipule asked Amata if it was possible to introduce legislation during the upcoming lame duck session to provide additional time to complete these projects and retain the necessary funding to pay for the remaining work. 

He pointed out that the Republicans still hold majorities in both chambers for the remainder of the current Congress, and hopes that she can enlist the support of the congressional leadership and Senate partners to advance this request before the deadline.
“Inclusion in an appropriate year-end legislative measure may offer a practical route to enactment,“ Fagaima said.

Of the extension, the re-elected faipule stated that additional time to finish construction should “expressly extend both the period for project performance and the deadline for expending properly obligated funds, with corresponding protection against their return solely because the existing deadline has passed.“

He characterized his request as a concern over preserving funding already awarded to American Samoa so that unfinished projects can deliver their intended benefits. 

“Losing that funding could leave the Territory with partially completed facilities and substantial costs that our local revenues would struggle to absorb.“

Fagaima wrote that an extension should be accompanied by realistic completion schedules and continued financial reporting and oversight. 

“I would welcome coordination among your office, the Governor’s Office, the ARPA Oversight Office and the Fono to establish the current unspent balance, identify projects at risk and determine the additional time needed.

“I respectfully ask that you make this an immediate priority during the remaining weeks of the current Congress. Your assistance could help protect a substantial federal investment and ensure that our people receive the completed projects these funds were intended to provide.“

Samoa News reached out to Congresswoman Amata for comment and she replied, “I am currently working on this and have been exploring options for months.“ 

Amata noted that “while Counsel has noted that a legislative fix is extremely difficult and maybe impossible, I have not given up on finding a solution. I'll be back in DC on Monday morning to continue pursuing this. If other states have a similar problem it might become the basis for something that could be helpful.”

The Congresswoman added that part of the difficulty may be that the current status is already an extension. 

She is referring to the request made by the territorial leadership for time only extensions for the completion of ARPA funded projects in 2025 when American Samoa faced deadline concerns. At the time, the leadership reached out to the U.S. Treasury, and the U.S. Department of Education to finish ongoing construction and educational initiatives, and was granted the 2026 extension.