"Senator Akaka is Chairman of the US Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs and has always supported what is best for our veterans and played an instrumental role in helping me with the establishment of a VA clinic in American Samoa that provides about $3 million in services for our veterans. When the local VA clinic is not able to provide the care or services needed, our veterans may be referred to LBJ if the care or services can be provided by LBJ. In such cases, VA and not the veteran should be responsible for the cost of care provided by LBJ and, thanks to the support of the Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs, this will soon be the case."
"Again, I thank Senator Akaka and I also thank Ms. McCarthy who went beyond the call of duty in identifying the depth of this problem. Like Senator Akaka, I am also pleased that 'the VA has been pro-active in addressing the need to provide a way to pay LBJ for veterans' care."
The VA is responsible for providing medical care for veterans who have disabilities incurred or aggravated by service in the Armed Forces. Other veterans who do not have service-connected disabilities may also apply for VA health care. Eligibility will depend upon the veteran's income, length of service and certain priority groups that VA has identified, such as for veterans with disabilities associated with recent service in combat. In those cases where VA is responsible for providing medical care, VA is allowed to enter into contracts to provide such care through private providers or other medical facilities.
"I appreciate the interest and effort of VA staff in developing this initiative and I hope that the administrators at LBJ will act swiftly to bring these discussions to a favorable outcome," Faleomavaega concluded.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 26, 2008
Washington, D.C. -- Faleomavaega responds to Senator Salanoa's criticiams of his work in congress
Congressman Faleomavaega announced today that he is responding to Senator Salanoa's statement criticizing his work in Congress, published by Samoa News on September 26, 2008.
"As a matter of practice and out of respect for my dear friend, Senator Salanoa, I would customarily respond directly to him regarding the opinions he has expressed on behalf of my opponent, Mrs. Aumua Amata Radewagen," Faleomavaega said.
"However, since Senator Salanoa is not a candidate and is not running for Congress and, also, since he submitted his statement to Samoa News in his official capacity as Chairman of the Friends of Amata campaign, it is clear he is expressing the views of Mrs. Aumua Amata Radewagen and, therefore, I will respond directly to her criticisms."
"First, Mrs. Aumua Amata Radewagen states I flew to American Samoa at a time when Senator McCain suspended his campaign to address the meltdown of our financial markets brought on, in large part, by corporate fat cats which the Republican party has a history of supporting. In fact, Senator McCain didn't suspend his campaign to save Wall Street. He suspended his campaign because he’s down in the polls and needs a political ploy to convince America to vote for him. As a matter of record, Senator McCain and his Republican party have opposed government regulation of Wall Street for years. Had the Republicans supported more oversight and regulation, America may not be in the financial mess we’re now in. While the Democratically-controlled Congress and President Bush are prepared to bail out America and have reached an agreement, the conservative Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives are opposing our bi-partisan efforts."
"Regarding the timeline of the bail out, President Bush sent his bill to Congress last weekend on September 20 when the House was not in session and then flew to New York on Tuesday September 23 where he addressed the United Nations General Assembly."
"While President Bush was en route to New York, I had already flown in and out of American Samoa where I made a one-day visit to Pago Pago on Monday of this week to honor and pay tribute to the late Paramount Chief A.U. Fuimaono who was American Samoa's first elected Representative to Washington, and was like a father to me. I was blessed to serve as Paramount Chief Fuimaono's Administrative Assistant, and I am indebted to him for everything he taught me. And, despite the fact that Mrs. Radewagen has criticized me for paying my respects to him and his family, I did what I thought was the right thing to do."
"Before leaving Pago Pago on Monday night, September 22, I explained to Chief Fuimaono's children and family that I would be unable to attend funeral services as I had to return to Washington to conclude the nation's and American Samoa's business, which is what I have been doing."
"On Friday, September 26, 2008, the House voted on our 30A tax credits, and I was on the House floor in support of this bill. On September 23, the Senate passed our extension but the House offered up another version of the bill, H.R. 7060, and now the Senate must vote again, and hopefully both chambers will wrap up their differences before Congress comes to a close."
"On Friday, September 26 or Saturday, September 27, the House may also take up the stimulus package, which also includes funding for the territories, including American Samoa, which we have worked on for the past several months."
"Therefore, regardless of Mrs. Radewagen's falsehoods and lack of understanding about the political process in Washington, I am well aware of matters pertaining to our Territory, and I am moving our people's legislation and agenda forward. As a matter of record, I was also present at every critical turn for minimum wage. Like every other Member of Congress, who often has to be at two places at once, I also have cell phones, blackberries, and even video conferencing. So, for Mrs. Radewagen to accuse me of not being present is untrue."
"I would, however, question her presence in our Territory as she only seems to come around to American Samoa during campaign season and, afterwards, heads back to her home in Virginia where she rests comfortably until it is time to campaign again having running for the office of Delegate now for her 7th time in the past 14 years."
"And speaking of Mrs. Radewagen's criticisms about my Congressional duties which at times require me to travel outside of the United States, I believe her criticisms are both naïve and hypocritical. It should be noted that Members of Congress represent not only their districts, but also the United States of America and, depending on their committee assignments, some Members are required to travel outside of the United States."
"As a Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and as Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs' Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific, and the Global Environment, my Congressional duties require me to travel on assignment to different parts of the world to represent the United States on issues pertaining to our national security, trade, climate change, nuclear nonproliferation, and other important matters. My Subcommittee travel is authorized and paid for by the Committee and the U.S. Department of State, and no funds set aside for American Samoa are ever used for my subcommittee duties, or travel, in my capacity as Chairman."
"At all times, whether at home, abroad, or in Washington, DC, I proudly represent the people of American Samoa wherever I am, and I will continue to perform the duties that are expected of me, and which the people elected me to do."
"Finally, given that Mrs. Radewagen's father was one of the most traveled Governors in the history of American Samoa and was a strong advocate of promoting regional cooperation between American Samoa and Pacific Island nations, I am somewhat surprised that Mrs. Radewagen would not at least honor the legacy of her father who felt it was important for American Samoa to be recognized at home and abroad, both as a viable member of the Asia Pacific community, and as a loyal and steadfast territory of the United States of America," Faleomavaega concluded.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 24, 2008
Washington, D.C. -- Faleomavaega pays respects to Paramount Chief A.U. Fuimaono's children and family
Congressman Faleomavaega paid his respects and expressed his condolences personally to the children and family of the late Paramount Chief A.U. Fuimaono, in a special one-day trip to American Samoa early this week. Paramount Chief A.U. Fuimaono passed away peacefully in his residence in Futiga on the evening of September 9, 2008.
"Fuimaono is one of the few people I will always feel indebted to. To say that he was like a father to me is an understatement because of the complete trust he had in me right from the beginning of our relationship when he selected me to be his Chief of Staff for his Washington, D.C. office from 1973 – 1975. That was when he became the first elected Representative from American Samoa to the Capitol," Faleomavaega reminisced.
"This great man was one of the traditional leaders who instilled in me the passion of being a real and true Samoan in a fast changing world – a world filled with political conflicts and cultural contradictions. This was at the time when American Samoa was suddenly immersed in the national arena of social structuring, traditional maintenance and political identity," Faleomavaega recalled.
"It was a time of upheaval for the people of American Samoa in many ways as we tried to embrace changes and influences from outside, yet retain our uniqueness as Samoans at the same time. It was also during that time that Fuimaono became recognized as a leader, and he championed in areas of economy, politics, culture and religion," Faleomavaega said.
"One of his most memorable and early advices to me then, and it still sounds like it was just yesterday was, 'Eni, the palagi are convinced that for us to move forward, we as Samoans must first learn to crawl, then also learn to walk, before we can run. I tell you right now, we do not have the time to learn how to crawl, nor do we have the luxury to walk. We have to run with them with whatever we have, whatever we can come up with so we could understand and play their game, otherwise, it would be too late and we would lose and be left out,'" Faleomavaega related.
"It was almost baptismal by fire for me then – 'Jump in, what are you waiting for?' 'We have a lot to do.' But Fuimaono also pointed out that the simplest way to go about tackling the challenges was having an undying faith in God. Fuimaono firmly believed in God's love, and he used that as the basis of everything he did, and of course he imposed it on those who were around him. He emphasized the importance of being Samoan as a reality check in the often-times turbulences of national and global politics," Faleomavaega said.
"I will not go into Paramount Chief A.U. Fuimaono's outstanding record as a pillar in government, private sector, the culture that was so dear to him, and the church his faith so firmly treasured. Those will always speak for themselves in defining the distinctiveness of the man."
"But if there is anything I want to emphasize about his character, it is the fraction of his immense wisdom he imparted on me in the years I worked for him, and the many times he nourished and encouraged me first as a congressional staffer in Washington, and eventually as the delegate from American Samoa years later," Faleomavaega continued.
"His simple yet honest and direct approach to all issues forged the basis of my professional life in Washington. Fuimaono's determination for the development of American Samoa and yet his sensitivity to protecting the Samoan culture pushed me to strive for that delicate balance that can still define us as Samoans yet be an equal participant under the complex political system of the United States government," Faleomavaega said.
"So when I heard the news of his death, there was no question in my mind not to be there, even with the overwhelming end-of-term schedules and the national financial crisis Congress is now facing. I owe it to Fuimaono's children and family to be in Samoa, even if it's only for a day. I have to pay my personal respects and indebtedness for the one person who started it all for me."
"I am most grateful and humbled that this great man had the patience and tolerance to help me develop confidence and pride in being Samoan. And if there is a last thing I would say of Paramount Chief Fuimaono, it is the fact that if it wasn't for his trust and belief in me, I would not have been where I’m at and the person that I am right now," Faleomavaega said.
"Again, I express my sincere condolences to Paramount Chief A.U. Fuimaono's children and family, and may God through His Everlasting Peace, grant His healing grace sooner on the grieving families and people of Samoa," Faleomavaega concluded.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 23, 2008
Washington, D.C. -- Faleomavaega visits American Samoan cadets at Wentworth Academy with Chairman Ike Skelton of the Committee on Armed Services
Congressman Faleomavaega announced today that at the invitation of Congressman Ike Skelton of Missouri who is Chairman of the House Committee on Armed Services, he visited the American Samoan Cadets at the Wentworth Military Academy and Junior College in Lexington, Missouri on September 15. Chairman Skelton, who has been in Congress since 1977, is a Wentworth Academy graduate of 1951.
"I am honored and privileged to have been invited by Chairman Skelton to accompany him on this visit with the cadets from our homeland," Faleomavaega said. "I had the great opportunity to personally meet and talk with all the cadets from American Samoa who are currently attending the Wentworth Military Academy and those who graduated early this year and are now continuing their education at the University of Central Missouri."
"To the best of my knowledge, this is the first time we have this many students from American Samoa attending a single military school at the same time. Currently, there are 23 Samoan students at Wentworth Military Academy and Junior College. Twenty-one are high school graduates from American Samoa while two are from the U.S. Mainland."
"The four sophomores include Danielle Monroe and Emosi Time from Leone High School, and Ruth Faatiga and Emmie Vaimauga from Faga'itua High School. They are scheduled to graduate and get their commissions in May next year."
"The 19 who are freshmen make up about 30-percent of the total freshman class enrollment this year. They will graduate in May of 2010. They include Seuiasomalu Afoa, Siosiana Akoteu, Rasela Atonio, Esaia Faaita, Roselyn Lalaga, Aione Paea, Masela Sooalo, Tifanny Tanoa, Benjamin Tuitasi, Samantha Uhrle, and Mose Wilson from Leone High School; Talishabeth McMoore and Andrew Tiapula form Faga'itua High School; Tulifau Mauga and Jason Togi from Samoana High School; Silivelio Iosefo and Sonny Saleutogi from Tafuna High School; and Bethany Langford and Raymond Mapu from the U.S. Mainland."
"Earlier this year, six students from our territory graduated from Wentworth Academy and were commissioned as second lieutenants. They included June Amataga and Tina Sevaaetasi from Faga'itua High School; Lincoln Moliga, Alma Taufu'a, and Seulata Tu from Tafuna High School; and Helaman Fepulea'i from Nu'uuli Polytech High School. Except for Alma Taufu'a who is attending the University of Hawaii, the rest are now attending the University of Central Missouri."
"Given that about half of the newly commissioned officers of this year's graduating class at Wentworth Academy were from American Samoa, I especially acknowledge and commend retired First Sergeant Ben Lausen who, while teaching in Leone High School after retiring from the U.S. Army after 22 years of service, saw great potential in his students to excel and reached out to schools like Wentworth Military Academy in 2000 for opportunities for his students."
"At the time, Major General John Little was the commandant of Wentworth Military Academy and was a friend of Chairman Ike Skelton and since that time, as a result of Mr. Lausen's efforts, a scholarship program was initiated which has allowed dozens of high school graduates from American Samoa to pursue higher education and commissions as military officers at Wentworth Military Academy."
"I was very impressed by the caliber of our students and the quality of the education offered at Wentworth Military Academy. I was also encouraged by the positive feedback I received from Captain J. Basil Read, III, USN (Ret.) who is President and Superintendant of Wentworth Military Academy, and other members of his staff and faculty about the Samoan cadets."
"Above all, I am proud of our Samoan students at Wentworth Academy and I congratulate all of them, current and past, for their determination in furthering their education and achieving their military commissions. I also congratulate all of the parents for their strong support, and I thank Chairman Skelton for acknowledging the tremendous accomplishments of our students on the House Floor in May of this year during consideration of H. Res. 1153, Celebrating Asian Pacific American Heritage Month," Faleomavaega concluded.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 8, 2008
Washington, D.C. -- Faleomavaega meets with Dongwon Group chairman Kim Jae-Chul, new owner of Starkist
 Congressman Faleomavaega announced today his historic meeting of September 4, 2008 with the new owner of StarKist tuna company, Dongwon Chairman and CEO Kim Jae-Chul, who recently purchased StarKist Company from Del Monte Foods for an approximate price of $363 million. It is expected that ongoing negotiations to finalize the sale of StarKist should bcompleted in the coming weeks, and that part of the deal willprovide for a two-year management contract between Del Monte and Dongwon Enterprise, with the intent to completely transition operations to Dongwon's own management group.
"I learned from Chairman Kim that in the late 1960's his first job then was to serve as a captain of a Korean long-liner which operated out of American Samoa. Afterwards, he returned to Korea and established a business, eventually building the first tuna processing company in Korea. The company expanded its operations and now has nine subsidiary divisions in the areas of mortgage financing, food and beverage, dairy farm products, wineries, animal feeds, organic food products, and management and educational programs."
"I was very impressed with Chairman Kim's sense of being a very humble man," Faleomavaega said, "especially considering his considerable achievements and rise to prominence as a successful businessman in Korea and now owning a multi-billion dollar company. Given his beginnings in American Samoa, I suggested to Chairman Kim the importance of giving qualified Samoans who have management skills an opportunity to be part of Dongwon's management team. I also suggested the possibility of setting up a management program to train Samoans within the Dongwon management system for the coming two years so after the two-year management contract with Del Monte ends, we will have identified and started training qualified Samoans to be part of Dongwon's management team, as this approach would also help Dongwon build a reputation as a community leader committed to reaching out to the Samoan community."
"After meeting with Chairman Kim, I also visited Dongwon's tuna processing plant located south of Seoul, and of what I have seen, Dongwon currently exports canned tuna products all over the world, and is noted for its high quality canned tuna. Dongwon's commitment to quality is good news for American Samoa as, for the past several years now, the executives of the U.S. branded tuna companies have been aggressively working to upgrade their products in order to more effectively compete.
Dongwon’s commitment to this process will lead to a more stable and profitable U.S. tuna industry."
"Also a plus for American Samoa is that Chairman Kim is very familiar with the tuna fishing and processing industry, and has a personal appreciation for our people. Under his leadership, I am confident that StarKist will turn it operations around after being sold twice in less than six years. I am also hopeful that in the coming months we will have a new face and new management team that will truly be a partner with the leaders and workers in our territory. This is why it is my pleasure to welcome Dongwon to American Samoa. Most of all, I extend my kindest regards and appreciation to Chairman Kim for remembering our islands and investing in the future of our people and economy," Faleomavaega concluded.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 28, 2008
Washington, D.C. -- Faleomavaega responds to Mrs. Aumua Amata Radewagen's guest editorial published by Samoa New on August 22, 2008
Congressman Faleomavaega announced today that he is responding to Mrs. Aumua Amata Radewagen's guest editorial published by Samoa News on August 22, 2008 in which she criticizes his work on behalf of the people of American Samoa, including his efforts to strengthen the US tuna industry and protect the jobs of nearly 5,000 cannery workers.
"Despite the fact that all three US branded tuna companies support my efforts to strengthen the US tuna fishing fleet, Mrs. Aumua Amata Radewagen's husband, Mr. Fred Radewagen, recently contacted lobbyists in Washington to work against my efforts to keep American Samoa's canneries strong," Faleomavaega said. "In her first public statement on the issue, Mrs. Aumua Amata Radewagen does not deny her husband’s involvement in opposing my work. Instead, she states that she has been silently 'watching from the sidelines with great interest.' In certain circumstances, silence implies consent, agreement, a willingness to go along with, or even participate in, the action being carried out."
"Whatever the case, I am hopeful that Mrs. Aumua Amata Radewagen will talk straight with the people of American Samoa and explain why she has been 'watching from the sidelines' while her husband has been secretly working to undermine the work of American Samoa's elected leaders."
"Hopefully, Mrs. Aumua Amata Radewagen will also be more forthcoming about her understanding of the legislative process, and how Congress operates. For example, Mrs. Aumua Amata Radewagen states that H.R. 3669, a bill I introduced to strengthen our US tuna fishing fleet, has been 'rightly' called a 'secret amendment'. She also faults Congress for not holding a hearing on the bill."
"For Mrs. Aumua Amata Radewagen's information, H.R. 3669 was introduced as a bill and like every bill in Congress, it was introduced as a matter of public record and there is nothing 'secret' about it. Furthermore, because of the thousands of measures that are introduced in Congress every year, many bills pass the House and Senate and are signed into law without a hearing ever being held. In fact, in 2007, only 392 hearings were held while 9,227 measures were introduced and 1,748 were passed."
"Moreover, due to the thousands of measures introduced every year, it is a common practice for small bills to be engrossed, or included in, larger bills as a way for Congress to pass more bills than would otherwise be possible. When this happens, the larger bill is amended to incorporate the substance of the smaller bills. Often this is done through a manager's amendment. A manager's amendment is a package of numerous individual amendments, some of which are based on smaller bills, and which are agreed to by both sides in advance. Once agreed upon, the manager's amendment is engrossed in the larger bill."
"30A is an example of how this process works. When I first offered legislation to extend 936 tax credits to our canneries, I introduced the legislation as a bill. Later, the substance of my small bill was included in a larger bill through a manager's amendment."
"H.R. 3669 is proceeding in a similar manner. After being introduced in the House as a stand-alone bill, the substance of H.R. 3669 was later included in the manager's amendment to H.R. 2830, the Coast Guard Reauthorization bill, which passed the House on April 24, 2008. The manager's amendment included many amendments, one of which was based on my small bill. And, for Mrs. Aumua Amata Radewagen's information, both Republicans and Democrats agreed to the manager's amendment in advance, on record, in public, and not in secret."
"Since H.R. 3669 is no longer moving forward as a separate, independent, bill, Mrs. Aumua Amata Radewagen is wrong to state that H.R. 3669 'will pass or die on its merits before Congress adjourns in late September.' Instead, H.R. 3669 has been engrossed, or included, in H.R. 2830, meaning it is only a very, very small part of the Coast Guard Reauthorization Act, and it is H.R. 2830 that now must be considered by the Senate."
"As the legislative process works, before any bill, large or small, can be signed into law, it must pass both the House and Senate, and the two chambers must agree on the final language. Since the House has already passed H.R. 2830 on its merits, including the substance of my bill which was included in it, the Senate must now decide if it will take up a Coast Guard Reauthorization bill before Congress adjourns. While it is likely we will adjourn in September, there is also a possibility we may come back after the November elections. Either way, if the Senate chooses not to take up a Coast Guard Reauthorization bill this year, then the House will reintroduce the legislation in the 111th Congress under a different bill number. At that time, depending on whom our people choose to represent their interests in Washington, legislation to strengthen our US tuna fishing fleet may or may not be included in the larger Coast Guard bill when it is re-introduced in 2009. That will be up to our people to decide on November 4, 2008."
"Until then, I believe our people deserve to know where Mrs. Aumua Amata Radewagen and I stand on the issues. Unlike Mrs. Aumua Amata Radewagen, I do not believe in watching silently from the sidelines while others work in secret against our people. Unlike Mrs. Aumua Amata Radewagen, I do not believe power should rest in the hands of a privileged few. I believe power belongs to the people, as our Founding Fathers intended it to be and, as my mentor, the late Congressman Phil Burton made sure that it would be for the people of American Samoa."
"To be clear, in 1951, President Harry S. Truman issued Executive Order 10264 which transferred administrative responsibility for the islands of American Samoa from the Secretary of the Navy to the U.S. Secretary of the Interior. The Secretary of the Interior, in turn, appointed our Governors."
"In 1960, the people of American Samoa adopted a Constitution. The Constitution was revised in 1966 and was approved by the Secretary of the Interior on June 2, 1967. In 1967, the Revised Constitution of American Samoa provided for an elected Legislature, or Fono, consisting of a Senate and a House of Representatives. However, it did not provide our people with the right to elect our own Governor and Lieutenant Governor and, at the time, American Samoa was the only remaining off-shore area of the United States which did not have a popularly elected Governor and Lieutenant Governor."
"On June 10, 1976, Congressman Phil Burton, Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Interior and Insular Affairs, took notice of American Samoa's situation and introduced a bill to make it possible for our Governor and Lieutenant Governor to be popularly elected rather than appointed by the Secretary of the Interior. As staff counsel to the Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs, Congressman Burton instructed me to draft this legislation, which the U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed by a landslide vote of 377 to 1."
"Instead of sending his bill to the Senate, Congressman Burton decided to consult further with the Secretary of the Interior, Rogers C.B. Morton, about American Samoa's unique political status as an unincorporated and unorganized territory which was and is unlike the organized territories of Guam and the Virgin Islands. As a result of their consultations, the two agreed that Secretary Morton would issue a Secretarial Order (No. 3009) authorizing the American Samoa Government to pass enabling legislation to provide for an elected Governor and the Lieutenant Governor."
"Secretary's Order No. 3009 amended American Samoa's Constitution to specifically provide for an elected rather than an appointed Governor and Lieutenant Governor. Secretary’s Order 3009 was also in keeping with the will of the majority of voters in American Samoa who voted in favor of electing their own Governor and Lieutenant Governor in a plebiscite that was held on August 31, 1976."
"Furthermore, Chairman Phil Burton introduced legislation on August 2, 1978 to provide that the Territory of American Samoa be represented by a nonvoting Delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives. Per Congressman Burton's instructions, I also drafted this legislation. This legislation became Public Law 95-556 and was made effective October 31, 1978."
"As a direct result of Congressman Phil Burton's leadership and initiative, which made it possible for Mrs. Aumua Amata Radewagen's father, the late Peter T. Coleman, to be elected, rather than appointed, as Governor of American Samoa, and Fofo I.F. Sunia to be elected as the first Delegate to Congress, it is disappointing that Governor Coleman's daughter now wants to strip our people of their hard-won rights to self-government. This is wrong."
"For example, Mrs. Aumua Amata Radewagen states that she has 'overriding concern' about the 'alteration of our local election procedures' which makes it possible for our military men and women, and other overseas voters, to vote for their Governor, Delegate and Representatives. However, I believe even her own father, who served in the US Army, would disagree with her concerns. Like every other American, our military men and women, who fight and die to preserve our freedoms, including our right to vote, also have an inalienable right to vote in federal and local elections, and I fully support their rights, even if Mrs. Aumua Amata Radewagen does not."
"I also believe our lowest paid workers have every right to be paid decent wages. But Mrs. Aumua Amata Radewaen states their rights are an 'imposition'. 'Imposition' means a 'burden' or a 'nuisance'. However, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 25, passed unanimously by the United Nations General Assembly in December, 1948 states, 'Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood.' Our Samoan culture believes the same. Why Mrs. Aumua Amata Radewagen believes differently is only something she can explain to the working people of our Territory."
"Hopefully, she can also explain why she wants to deny our people their right to decide for themselves to be a national or a citizen, to have a federal court or not, or to determine how their federal funds are spent. However she justifies her reasons for denying our people their hard-won rights, I stand in strong opposition to her views. Contrary to her views, I stand for self-government, straight talk, and for keeping power in the hands of our people," Faleomavaega concluded.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 18, 2008
Washington, D.C. -- Senator Inouye requests Faleomavaega's comments and views regarding Governor Togiola's opposition to Eni's efforts to strenghthen US Tuna Fishing Fleet
Congressman Faleomavaega announced today that US Senator Daniel K. Inouye, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, has requested his comments and views regarding Governor Togiola's opposition to Eni's efforts to strengthen the US tuna fishing fleet, and keep American Samoa's canneries strong.
"In a letter dated July 30, 2008, Senator Inouye shared with me a copy of a letter he received from Governor Tulafono in opposition to my provision to strengthen our US tuna fishing fleet," Faleomavaega said. "The Governor copied his letter to Lieutenant Governor Sunia, Senate President Lolo Moliga, and House Speaker Savali Ale. The Governor did not copy me and, as such, Senator Inouye forwarded Governor Togiola’s letter to me, and requested my comments and views."
"Given the importance of this issue, I requested Senator Inouye's permission to make these letters public, including the Governor's letter of July 17 to the Senator, the Senator's July 30 letter to me, and my April 11 response to the Senator. Senator Inouye agreed to my request, and the full texts of the letters are included in this release."
In his letter of July 30, Senator Inouye wrote:
Dear Representative Faleomavaega:
I am writing to share with you a copy of a letter I received from Governor Tulafono, in opposition to your provision that would allow Taiwan built and operated purse seine vessels to fish in the South Pacific exclusive economic zones (EEZs) of the United States. Presently, your provision is not in the Senate version of the Coast Guard Reauthorization Bill. It will be a matter of discussion during the House and Senate Conference deliberations on the Reauthorization bill. Accordingly, I seek your comments and views regarding the Governor's letter and your provision.
Thank you for your time and kind attention to my request. I look forward to receiving your response.
Aloha,
DANIEL K. INOUYE
United States Senator
Enclosed with Senator Inouye's letter of July 30 to Faleomavaega was a copy of Governor Togiola's letter of July 17 to the Senator. The full text of Governor Togiola's letter to Senator Inouye is included below.
Dear Senator Inouye:
Thank you for your encouraging response to my letter of May 29, 2008, outlining our objecting to a House Bill proposed and sponsored by the Territory's Congressional Delegate Eni Faleomavaega. This is Section 421 of H.R. 2830, the Coast Guard Reauthorization Bill, proposed by Eni Faleomavaega, passed by the House, and lies now before the Senate, which will allow Taiwan built purse seiners based in Pago Pago, to be operated by Taiwanese for Taiwan business interests in the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zones in our oceanic region.
I understand that an effort is being made now to meet our objections by proposing a compromise whereby these foreign built and operated vessels would not be allowed under the Delegate's legislation to fish in our adjacent Exclusive Economic Zones, but only in the further out United States' uninhabited EEZ waters of Baker, Howland, Jarvis, and Palmyra Islands.
The Territorial Government's position should be fully understood, that our serious objection to this proposal extends also to fishing in these outlying EEZ waters as well. Decades of work have gone into acquiring and settling United States' right to have an exclusive use of these waters for the benefit of our Nation and its population living nearby in the region. The Delegate's Bill would undermine the rights and benefits of Exclusive Economic Zones that have long been established and recognized by the community of nations in this and other regions throughout the world.
Kind regards,
TOGIOLA T.A. TULAFONO
Governor of American Samoa
Cc: Hon. Faoa Ipulasi A. Sunia, Lieutenant Governor
Hon. Lolo M. Moliga, President of the Senate
Hon. Savali T. Ale, Speaker
In response to Governor Togiola’s letter of opposition and Senator Inouye’s request for comments and views, Faleomavaega submitted a letter on August 11 to Senator Inouye, who serves as the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation.
Dear Mr. Chairman:
I am writing in response to your correspondence of July 30 in which you shared with me a copy of a July 17 letter you received from Governor Togiola in opposition to H.R. 3669, a bill I introduced to strengthen the US tuna fishing fleet so that our canneries can have an adequate supply of fish to process in order to stay in American Samoa. I thank you for seeking my comments and views regarding this important matter.
Since Governor Togiola did not copy me on the letters he sent to you on May 29 and July 17, nor has he ever approached me by phone or letter to inform me of his objections, I had no idea he was opposing my work. This is regrettable, especially given that I copied Governor Togiola on my June 17 letter (attached) to the Western Pacific Fisheries Management Council and also on my letter of June 12 (attached) to the Fono in which I clearly outlined my efforts to revitalize the US tuna fishing fleet for purposes of protecting our canneries and the jobs of our cannery workers.
To my knowledge, prior to the receipt of the letter you forwarded me from Governor Togiola, only one tuna purse seiner, one longliner, and Mr. Fred Radewagen, who is the husband and senior campaign advisor of one of my opponents, Mrs. Aumua Amata Radewagen, have objected to my efforts. While, on June 9, the President of the Senate and Speaker of the House sent a letter to me misrepresenting the facts about H.R. 3669, I provided them with a response on June 12, and have not heard further from them.
However, it has been made known to me that Mr. Fred Radewagen contacted former Senator John Breaux's firm for assistance in lobbying against the bill which I introduced, but Senator Breaux refused to work against me. In turn, Mr. Joe Finete, who owns one or two tuna boats, has taken up Mr. Radewagen’s cause and hired one of Senator Breaux’s former staffers, now a Washington lobbyist, to represent their interests. Mr. Finete also recently established a Tunaboat Owners Coalition which, as I have been told, consists only of Mr. Finete's one or two boats. Serving as the Executive Director for Mr. Finete's Coalition is Mr. Manase Mansur, a former Republican lobbyist and long-time supporter and campaign advisor to Mr. Fred Radewagen's wife, Mrs. Amata Coleman Radewagen, who is running for the seventh time now for American Samoa's Congressional seat.
For your information, on July 14, Samoa News published a June 26 letter Mr. Finete wrote to Governor Togiola criticizing my position regarding American Samoa’s need to protect its canneries and our workers. Like Governor Togiola, Mr. Finete did not copy me on his letter so I was unaware of his concerns until I read about them in the newspaper. In his letter, Mr. Finete thanked Governor Togiola for making “constructive statements in the media raising concerns about legislation by the Delegate in Washington, D.C., which would negatively impact American Samoa’s tuna industry.”
Despite Mr. Finete's suggestions that the Governor was supporting his cause, my office was not privy to any media statements the Governor may have made since the Governor's comments were not published in the local newspapers. Also, the Governor did not forward me a copy of Mr. Finete's letter nor, as I mentioned earlier, did the Governor contact me to openly express his concerns. Therefore, in my response to Mr. Finete, I informed him that I was unclear about his assertions about the Governor.
On July 22 and August 8, Mr. Carlos Sanchez, a man who owns a small long liner, also made misleading statements to the media but he, too, never bothered to write to my office. Whether or not Mr. Sanchez is affiliated with the Governor or Mr. Radewagen, I do not know, and it does not matter, as I believe everyone is entitled to an opinion. However, in his letter to you, Governor Togiola states that my legislation "will allow Taiwan built purse seiners based in Pago Pago to be operated by Taiwanese for Taiwan business interests." This is not the case.
To be clear, the bill I offered is a follow-up to legislation which originated in 2005 in the Senate Commerce Committee when you and Senator Stevens agreed to a request made by the U.S-flag tuna boat owners and the United States Tuna Foundation to allow the U.S.-flag distant water tuna fleet, which fishes exclusively in the South Pacific Tuna Treaty Area and the South Pacific exclusive economic zones (EEZs) of the United States, to employ internationally licensed personnel to serve as officers due to a shortage of licensed US citizens willing to serve as officers on US tuna vessels. The provision passed the Senate in October 2005. There was no House companion bill, and the conference report on the Coast Guard Authorization bill agreed with the Senate passed provision. The conference report passed Congress in June and the President signed the bill on July 11, 2006.
I cannot thank you and Senator Stevens enough for the efforts you made to revitalize the US tuna fleet for purposes of keeping American Samoa's canneries operational. As you know, the US tuna fishing fleet had dwindled down from a fleet of about 40 to only 14 tuna purse seiners. With the enactment of the Senate provision in 2006, however, new vessels were ordered for the US tuna fishing fleet. In fact, no vessels were ordered and no contracts were signed until after July 2006 because if the new boats could not use foreign officers, there was no way to increase the US tuna fishing fleet given that US officers were not available.
Thanks to your leadership and the leadership of Senator Stevens, the US tuna fishing fleet has now added ten new boats to its fleet, with two more to be added in the near future. In accordance with an agreement worked out between the South Pacific Tuna Corporation, the US Department of Commerce, and the US Department of State, of which I was not privy but do support, it was agreed the boats could be built in Taiwan since US shipyards have not built a tuna purse seiner in the past 30 years. It was also agreed that the boats would fly the US flag and be permitted to fish in the South Pacific Tuna Treaty Area. These are the boats to which the Governor is referring. Despite his claims to the contrary, these boats are part of the US tuna fishing fleet and are managed by the South Pacific Tuna Corporation, a US tuna purse seine vessel management company, with US shareholders at 51% and Taiwanese shareholders at 49%, with the majority of US shareholders directly associated with Bumble Bee and Chicken of the Sea/Samoa Packing. Chicken of the Sea/Samoa Packing has operations in American Samoa, as does StarKist. Bumble Bee does not.
At the time of the negotiation regarding the revitalization of the US tuna fishing fleet, StarKist was up for sale and was not in a position to enter into the partnership. StarKist is now finalizing its sale for $363 million to Dongwon, a Korean enterprise, and, therefore, is limited in what it can say about the newest members of the US tuna fishing fleet but has submitted a letter (attached) stating that “StarKist believes a strong United States tuna fleet is critical for the US tuna industry and American Samoa.”
I agree, and this is why I introduced H.R. 3669. To ensure that our fleet stays strong, that all US tunaboats in the US tuna fishing fleet are treated the same, that American Samoa's canneries have a constant supply of fish, and that our workers' jobs are protected, H.R. 3669 would allow the newest members of the US tuna fishing fleet to fish in the same waters as the older members of our fleet, including the waters around Howland Island, Baker Island, Kingman Reef, Palmyra Atoll, and Wake Island, especially given that tuna is a highly migratory fish. H.R. 3669 is based on US policy which was established almost 25 years ago when Representative Tony Won Pat of Guam authored legislation to promote the US fishing industry in the Pacific by allowing US flag ships built in foreign countries to fish in fishery conservation zones and territorial seas adjacent to the Pacific territories. H.R. 3669 builds on this policy to include US flag tuna purse seine vessels.
Prior to the introduction of this legislation, it is my understanding that representatives of Bumble Bee and the South Pacific Tuna Corporation met with Senate Commerce Committee staff to seek their input. Also, given the Fono's concerns about the EEZ of American Samoa, my office informed Senate Commerce Committee staff that I would be asking the Senate to revise H.R. 3669 to exclude the EEZs of American Samoa, Guam, and CNMI, a revision the new boats have agreed to support. H.R. 3669 was passed by the House on April 24, 2008.
Recently, Mr. Finete and Mr. Sanchez have publicly stated that no tuna from the new vessels has been delivered to American Samoa's canneries, and that the new vessels have no intention of supplying our canneries. This is misleading. While the new boats do not pull into American Samoa's port, by contractual agreement, Chicken of the Sea/Samoa Packing and Bumble Bee have the right of first refusal to purchase fish harvested. Chicken of the Sea, through its parent company, Thai Union, has exercised that right on almost all of the fish it has been offered. As Chicken of the Sea and the South Pacific Tuna Corporation explain, this process allows Chicken of the Sea/Samoa Packing and Bumble Bee to purchase fish based on proximity to processing locations meaning that if the new vessels catch fish closer to Bangkok, then they unload in Bangkok which, in the case of Chicken of the Sea/Samoa Packing, allows Thai Union to send other fish caught closer to American Samoa to the Chicken of the Sea/Samoa Packing plant. This not only stabilizes Samoa Packing's operations but also helps the older boats in the US tuna fishing fleet by ensuring that their fish is also utilized by the canneries.
As the South Pacific Tuna Corporation states in an attached letter, "in an increasingly competitive tuna business, the logistics of matching fish harvesting locations to processing locations is extremely important." As Chicken of the Sea/Samoa Packing states, "this arrangement helps guarantee our canneries will receive the fish they need to continue operation. Since we know we will receive the fish we need, this dependable source of fish helps stabilize our cannery operations and ensures our workers have jobs, especially in American Samoa, regardless of whether or not our fish is offloaded in port."
While I appreciate that this is an election year and that some will attempt to discredit my efforts, H.R. 3669 is supported by Chicken of the Sea/Samoa Packing and Bumble Bee, and their letters of support are enclosed for your information. As I stated earlier, StarKist, which has operations in American Samoa, supports a stronger US fleet, which is the intent of H.R. 3669, but is limited in what it can openly say until its parent company, Del Monte, closes on the sale of StarKist to Dongwon.
As an aside, and in response to the Governor's criticism that the new boats are for Taiwan business interests, the fact of the matter is American Samoa’s entire tuna industry has gone foreign, as has the US branded tuna industry. Both canneries in American Samoa are now foreign-owned. Chicken of the Sea/Samoa Packing is owned by Thai Union. StarKist, which is owned by Del Monte, is being sold to Dongwon, a Korean enterprise, whose Chairman I intend to meet in Korea in the very near future. Bumble Bee, which does not have operations in American Samoa, is owned by a Canadian company. Also, both our old and new tuna boats have foreign officers and foreign crews on board. Such is the nature of the global tuna business, but I am pleased that the new tunaboat owners have agreed to hire Samoans as officers and crew if our people desire to work on these boats. I am also pleased that our old tunaboats still employ Samoans.
But the Governor's point about Taiwan business interests is moot considering that the US branded tuna industry is for Thai, Korean, and Canadian business interests. Regardless of these circumstances, my purpose in moving H.R. 3669 forward is to ensure that the canneries in American Samoa, whether foreign owned or not, have the fish they need to stay in American Samoa. No fish means no canneries and no canneries mean no jobs.
Faleomavaega concluded his letter to Senator Inouye by stating, "For the sake of our workers and our canneries, and frankly, for the sake of our economy, I request your support of H.R. 3669, and ask that you modify it to exclude the EEZs of American Samoa, CNMI, and Guam. As always, I thank you for your tireless commitment to the people of American Samoa, and I also thank you for requesting my comments and views."
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 18, 2008
Washington, D.C. -- Faleomavaega to attend "Change of Responsibility" Ceremony for Command Sergeant Major Tuileama Nua
 Congressman Faleomavaega announced today that he has accepted an invitation from Brigadier General Steve Jones, Commanding General of the Pacific Regional Medical Command and Tripler Army Medical Center, to attend the Change of Responsibility ceremony for Command Sergeant Major Tuileama Nua on August 21, 2008. CSM Tuileama "Tui" Nua was recently selected by the U.S. Army to take over responsibility as command sergeant major or senior non-commissioned officer for the Pacific Regional Medical Command at Tripler Army Medical Center in Honolulu, Hawaii.
CSM Tui Nua was most recently Command Sergeant Major for the 44th Medical Command at Fort Bragg, North Carolina and previously was Command Sergeant Major for the 121st General Hospital at Seoul, South Korea. He also held other positions of great responsibility including Command Sergeant Major for the 52nd Medical Battalion; Senior Enlisted Dental Consultant for Headquarters Company, 18th Medical Command; First Sergeant for USA DENTAC; Chief Dental Noncommissioned Officer for 300th Medical Company, and First Sergeant for 257th Medical Company.
CSM Nua holds an Associate of Arts degree in management from the University of Maryland. He graduated from the Sergeants Major Academy – Class 51. Prior to joining the U.S. Army, CSM Nua graduated from Faga'itua High School in American Samoa and also attended Leulumoega Fou College in Samoa.
Some of CSM Nua's professional and career developments include the Basic Airborne School, Telecommunication Specialist School, EMT School, Jump Master School, and the Dental Specialist School. Other accomplishments include completion of the Warrior Leaders Course, Basic Noncommissioned Officer Course, Advance Noncommissioned Officer Course, Leadership Facilitator Course, Leader Counseling Course, and Instructor and Master Fitness Course.
CSM Nua is also a recipient of many awards and honors including the Legion of Merit, Meritorious Service Medal, 4th OLC, Army Commendation Medal, 4th OLC, Army Achievement Medal, Silver OLC, Good Conduct Medal, 9th Award, National Defense Medal, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, Southwest Asia Liberation Medal, Kuwait Liberation Medal, NCO Professional Development Ribbon, numeral 4, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon, EFMB Badge, Master Parachutist Badge, and Driver's Badge, and also holds the distinction of being of the Order of Military Medical Merit.
CSM Tui Nua is married to Anita Mendoza of San Francisco, California. They have two sons, Joel and Keanu. Tui's parents are To'atolu Nua of Ta'u Manua and Sooupu Save Nua of Fitiuta, Manua.
"I am proud of Command Sergeant Major Tui Nua for his many achievements and I am honored to have been invited to attend his change of responsibility ceremony," Faleomavaega said. "Tui exemplifies the service and sacrifice of our brave men and women serving in the U.S. Armed Forces."
"Accomplishments bring more and bigger responsibilities and I firmly believe Command Sergeant Major Nua will serve our country well in his new assignment and will continue to make his parents, family and all his fellow Samoans proud. I congratulate Tui on his new assignment and I wish him and his lovely wife Anita all the best," concluded Faleomavaega.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 15, 2008
Washington, D.C. -- Starkist, Chicken of the Sea/Samoa Packing, and Bumble Bee support Faleomavaega's efforts to strengthen US Tuna Fishing Fleet
Congressman Faleomavaega announced today that the entire US branded canned tuna industry, including StarKist, Chicken of the Sea/Samoa Packing, and Bumble Bee support his efforts to strengthen the US tuna fishing fleet.
"In a letter dated August 7, Mr. Shue Wing Chan, President and Chief Executive Officer of Chicken of the Sea/Samoa Packing, submitted a letter to my office in support of H.R. 3669, a bill I introduced to strengthen our US tuna fishing fleet and protect the jobs of our cannery workers," Faleomavaega said. "The full text of his letter is included below."
Dear Chairman Faleomavaega:
I am writing in support of H.R. 3669, a bill you recently introduced to promote the US flag distant water tuna fleet. We are pleased that the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure included the provisions of the bill in the manager’s amendment when the House considered and passed the Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2008.
Chicken of the Sea International operates a tuna canning facility in American Samoa. Our canning operations require a secure and reliable source of tuna. In recent years, the U.S. tuna fleet has dwindled, but, thankfully, new investments to revitalize the fleet have helped rebuild it. Chicken of the Sea has negotiated an agreement, as has Bumble Bee, with the newly built US vessels entering the fishery in the Western Tropical Pacific giving us a right of first refusal to purchase fish harvested. We have exercised this right on almost all the fish we have been offered. This fish, along with other purchases, forms a basis for a pool of fish the Chicken of the Sea and Thai Union draw upon. The various sources in the pool are directed to various canning locations, including Chicken of the Sea/Samoa Packing, based on least cost. For example, fish caught closer to Bangkok is offloaded in Bangkok, allowing the Chicken of the Sea plant in Pago Pago to receive fish caught closer to American Samoa. This arrangement helps guarantee our canneries will receive the fish they need to continue operation. Since we know we will receive the fish we need, this dependable source of fish helps stabilize our cannery operations and ensures our workers have jobs, especially in American Samoa, regardless of whether or not our fish is offloaded in port.
I am aware that one or two boat owners have expressed concern that your legislation would somehow diminish the potential for American Samoa's shipbuilding and repair industry by allowing foreign built, U.S. owned and documented tuna boats to fish in the U.S. EEZ's around uninhabited Pacific Islands like Baker and Howland. Unfortunately, this concern is misguided. Our national policy of allowing foreign built, U.S. flag fishing vessels to fish in fishery conservation zones and territorial seas adjacent to the Pacific territories was established almost 25 years ago when Representative Won Pat of Guam authored legislation to allow this fishing activity. The purpose of the legislation, like yours, was to promote the U.S. fishing industry, recognizing that a Pacific Island based shipbuilding industry could not be competitive.
Your legislation builds on a 25-year old policy to promote the U.S. flag, U.S. owned fishing industry in the Pacific. The legislation and your support for a revitalized tuna fleet will also help ensure U.S. canneries have available to them the raw material they require.
I want to thank you for your leadership in U.S. fisheries issues.
Sincerely,
Shue Wing Chan
President and Chief Executive Officer
Chicken of the Sea International
"On August 8, 2008, Mr. Chris Lischewski, President and Chief Executive Officer of Bumble Bee also submitted a similar letter in support of H.R. 3669," Faleomavaega said. "The full text of his letter is included below."
Dear Chairman Faleomavaega:
I am writing in strong support of H.R. 3669, a bill you introduced last year to promote the U.S. flag distant water tuna fleet. We were pleased that the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure included the provisions of the bill in the manager's amendment when the House considered and passed the Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2008.
Bumble Bee Foods operates two of the last U.S. tuna canneries in Los Angeles, California and Mayaguez, Puerto Rico. As you are aware, the domestic canning industry faces very stiff competition from imports produced in low wage countries in SE Asia and Latin America. We have only been able to survive and save hundreds of domestic cannery jobs by utilizing frozen tuna loins in our plants. Having our fish cleaned and loined outside the U.S. has allowed us to continue operations while paying competitive wages and providing medical benefits to our plant workers in the U.S.
Our canning operations require a secure and reliable source of tuna. In recent years, the U.S. tuna fleet has dwindled but thankfully new investments to revitalize the fleet have helped rebuild the Samoan-based South Pacific Tuna Treaty fleet. Our company, along with Chicken of the Sea, negotiated an agreement so that we have the right of first refusal to purchase fish harvested from these U.S. flag vessels. This arrangement helps ensure that our canneries will receive the tuna they need to continue operation. In Bumble Bee's case, the fish is generally cleaned in Thailand with the cleaned, frozen loins shipped to either Los Angeles or Puerto Rico for canning. For Chicken of the Sea, this secure source of fish enters their supply pool which is then utilized at their processing facilities. This is important to American Samoa because it not only ensures that Chicken of the Sea/Samoa Packing will receive the fish they require, but also because it means that they can continue to purchase whole fish from local boats.
I have heard that owners of one or two tuna fishing vessels have expressed concern that your legislation would somehow diminish the potential for American Samoa's fishing, shipbuilding and repair industry by allowing foreign built, but U.S. owned and documented tuna boats to fish in the EEZs around uninhabited U.S. Pacific Islands like Baker and Howland. Unfortunately, this concern is unwarranted. Our national policy of allowing foreign built, U.S. flag fishing vessels to fish in fishery conservation zones and territorial seas adjacent to the Pacific territories was established almost 25 years ago when the U.S. Representative from Guam authored his legislation to allow this fishing activity. The purpose of the legislation, like yours, was to promote the U.S. fishing industry in the prolific Pacific Ocean fishery.
Your legislation builds on a 25-year old policy to promote the U.S. flag and U.S. owned fishing industry in the Pacific. The legislation and your support for a revitalized tuna fleet will help to ensure the continuity of the U.S. tuna fleet in the Pacific and the survival of the U.S. tuna processing industry in Samoa.
I want to thank you for your leadership in U.S. fisheries issues.
Sincerely,
Christopher D. Lischewski
President and Chief Executive Officer
Bumble Bee Foods
"At the time of the negotiation regarding the revitalization of the US tuna fishing fleet, StarKist was up for sale and was not in a position to enter into an agreement with the South Pacific Tuna Corporation to purchase fish harvested from these U.S. flag vessels," Faleomavaega said. "Now StarKist is finalizing its sale for $363 million to Dongwon, a Korean enterprise, and, therefore, is limited in what it can publicly say about H.R. 3669."
"However, on August 7, 2008, Ms. Susan S. Jackson, Vice President, Government/Industry Relations & Seafood Sourcing of Del Monte StarKist Seafood, issued the following statement:"
Dear Congressman Faleomavaega:
StarKist believes that a strong United States tuna fleet is critical for the US tuna industry and American Samoa.
Sincerely,
Susan S. Jackson
Vice President, Government/Industry Relations
& Seafood Sourcing
Del Monte Foods
StarKist Seafood
"On the issue of American Samoa's future, all three of the US branded canned tuna companies believe that a strong US tuna fishing fleet is critical for the US tuna industry and critical for American Samoa. I believe the same and will continue to do everything I can, no matter what, to keep our canneries strong and protect the jobs of our cannery workers, especially since more than 80% of our private sector economy is dependent either directly or indirectly on our tuna canneries which employ more than 74% of our private sector workforce," Faleomavaega concluded.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 14, 2008
Washington, D.C. -- Faleomavaega issues final statement about misleading information being put forth by Sanchez and Finete regarding US Tuna Industry
Congressman Faleomavaega announced today that he is issuing his final statement about the misleading information being put forth by Mr. Carlos Sanchez and Mr. Joe Finete who are opposing Faleomavaega’s efforts to keep American Samoa's canneries strong.
"On August 7 and July 22, Mr. Sanchez wrote guest editorials opposed to my efforts to keep American Samoa’s canneries strong and to protect the jobs of our cannery workers," Faleomavaega said. "While I gave Mr. Sanchez the benefit of the doubt believing that he had a sincere desire to understand the issue, it is clear that he has a personal agenda and is not interested in having a constructive dialogue. Therefore, I will not be responding to any more statements put forth by him, or Mr. Finete, who is working with Mr. Fred Radewagen, husband of my opponent, Mrs. Aumua Amata Coleman Radewagen, the Republican candidate who this year is running for the seventh time now for American Samoa's Congressional seat. Instead, I will issue a final statement and trust that our people will decide for themselves if my efforts are, in fact, in the best interest of our tuna industry, which is the Territory's single most important private sector industry."
"First, regarding the newest members of our US tuna fishing fleet, Mr. Sanchez and Mr. Finete have implied that the new tunaboats will not supply our canneries with the fish we need to protect the jobs of our workers. However, as I have previously stated, by contractual agreement, the new US tunaboats must offer Chicken of the Sea/Samoa Packing and Bumble Bee the first right to buy the fish before it can be sold anywhere else. On almost every occasion, Chicken of the Sea has exercised its right to buy first and has purchased almost all of the fish it has been offered."
"As Chicken of the Sea/Samoa Packing states, 'This fish, along with other purchases, forms a basis for a pool of fish that Chicken of the Sea and Thai Union draw upon. The various sources in the pool are directed to various canning locations, including Chicken of the Sea/Samoa Packing, based on least cost. For example, fish caught closer to Bangkok is offloaded in Bangkok, allowing the Chicken of the Sea plant in Pago Pago to receive fish caught closer to American Samoa. This arrangement helps guarantee our canneries will receive the fish they need to continue operation. Since we know we will receive the fish we need, this dependable source of fish helps stabilize our cannery operations and ensures our workers have jobs, especially in American Samoa, regardless of whether or not our fish is offloaded in port.'" In other words, just because the boats may not directly 'deliver' their fish to our canneries, the new boats are still supplying our canneries with the fish we need, and it is wrong for Mr. Finete and Mr. Sanchez to suggest otherwise."
"Regarding Mr. Sanchez and Mr. Finete's complaints about the new US tunaboats having foreign officers and crews, they might want to get their facts straight before criticizing the work of US Senator Ted Stevens and US Senator Daniel Inouye, who as the co-chairs of the US Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, made it possible for US tunaboats to be manned by foreign officers. Foreign officers and crews serve on both our old and new tunaboats. And, as I previously announced, the new US tunaboats are fully committed to hiring Samoan officers and crews, if our people are interested."
"Regarding Mr. Sanchez's assertion that lightmeat tuna is of no concern to our canneries, he is absolutely wrong again. Mr. Sanchez knows full well that our canneries process more lightmeat tuna than albacore. He also knows that the US tuna fishing fleet, not our longliners, catch most of the lightmeat tuna that is used by our canneries. This is why even Mr. Sanchez's former employer, StarKist, states that 'a strong United States tuna fishing fleet is critical for the US tuna industry and American Samoa' meaning that lightmeat tuna is critical for its operations. In other words, lightmeat tuna is just as important as albacore, if not more so, as the sheer volume of lightmeat tuna that our canneries process is what keeps our albacore business profitable."
"In response to Mr. Sanchez's question about what I am doing about albacore, for Mr. Sanchez's information, I worked with my colleagues in the House and Senate and also with Bumble Bee and Chicken of the Sea/Samoa Packing to protect our albacore base by including a rules of origin provision during the Andean trade debate when Mr. Sanchez's former employer, StarKist, tried to sell out American Samoa and its cannery workers to Ecuador and other Andean countries by lobbying the US Congress to allow the Andean countries to send canned tuna to the US duty-free, just like American Samoa. Had StarKist been successful, in my opinion, American Samoa's tuna industry would have been destroyed and more than 5,000 of our cannery workers would have lost their jobs. Even Mr. Sanchez would have been out of work. However, with the support of Bumble Bee and Chicken of the Sea, and our friends and colleagues in the House and Senate, we successfully fought off StarKist and saved American Samoa's canned tuna industry."
"When it was determined that the Andean countries could send pouch tuna to the US duty-free, we also protected our US tunaboat owners like Mr. Finete and longliners like Mr. Sanchez by including a rules of origin provision which required that all pouch tuna entering the US from the Andean countries had to be caught by US or Andean boats in order to qualify for duty-free treatment. Without this provision, foreign boats could have sold their fish to the Andean countries and flooded the US market with their lightmeat and albacore tuna. But, as a result of our efforts, we protected the US market and evened the playing field for our US tuna fishing fleet, including our purse seiners and longliners. To this day, future trade agreements are being modeled after our success even though Mr. Sanchez and Mr. Finete's coalition were nowhere to be found when American Samoa faced one of its most critical challenges."
"What was Mr. Sanchez doing about albacore during the Andean trade debate? Where was he when the Thailand Free Trade agreement was proposed, or when the Federated States of Micronesia, and the Republic of the Marshall Islands sought to increase the amount of tuna they could send to the US duty free? Where was Mr. Sanchez or Mr. Finete's tuna coalition when the rest of us were working to protect their livelihoods? How do Mr. Sanchez and Mr. Finete repay those who have helped them? They criticize the efforts of the vast majority of the tuna industry’s business leaders and tunaboat owners who care about American Samoa's future."
"Mr. Sanchez, for example, wants us to believe that Bumble Bee shouldn't matter to the people of American Samoa simply because Bumble Bee doesn't have a cannery in Pago Pago. But I believe Bumble Bee should matter. Like I said, at a time when Mr. Finete’s tuna coalition was nowhere to be found and when Mr. Sanchez's former employer, StarKist, was trying to sell us out to Ecuador, Bumble Bee worked to protect the jobs of more than 5,000 cannery workers in American Samoa. Because Bumble Bee stood with our cannery workers, I will always stand with Bumble Bee."
"Regarding Mr. Sanchez and Mr. Finete's complaints about foreigners working on the old and new US tunaboats and Chicken of the Sea/Samoa Packing being owned by Thai Union, the fact of the matter is all three of the branded US canned tuna companies are now owned by foreign corporations. StarKist, previously owned by Del Monte, is now being sold for $363 million to Dongwon, a Korean enterprise. Bumble Bee, which does not have operations in American Samoa, is owned by a Canadian company. So, if Mr. Sanchez and Mr. Finete really want to sell their fish to our local canneries or elsewhere, they would do well to be less critical of the foreign investors who are now keeping them afloat."
"Regarding Mr. Sanchez's assertion that Southwest Marine isn't around anymore, I would refer him to the US Department of the Interior's Office of Insular Affairs (OIA). According to OIA, the American Samoa Government (ASG) and Southwest Marine entered into a long-term lease agreement and privatized the shipyard, as I stated, during the Lutali Administration. According to OIA, the agreement is still in effect, although Southwest Marine has been trying to get out of its contract with ASG by subleasing it to another company. Governor Togiola and Southwest Marine still have not agreed to a proposed sublease agreement. Considering that Governor Togiola and Southwest Marine have not agreed to a proposed sublease agreement, our shipyard is still privatized meaning that its operations and management are the responsibilities of Southwest Marine, not the federal or local government, and I would encourage Mr. Sanchez to look up the definition of ‘privatization’ if he has further questions."
"Regarding the amount of fish Mr. Sanchez and our longliners contribute to our canneries, as I stated in my previous statement, I appreciate the contributions of our longliners. In reporting their contributions, my staff, who are not career fisherman, made an error in forwarding information obtained from our canneries. To clarify this matter, American Samoa's longliners catch, on average, about 3,000 to 4,000 tons of albacore per year, out of a total of some 70,000 tons that is processed by our canneries, which means that American Samoa's longliners only provide a little above 5% or so of our canneries' albacore needs. The majority of our albacore comes from foreign sources, mostly Taiwanese and Korean longliners."
"Regarding Mr. Sanchez's assertion that last year he and American Samoa's longliners supplied approximately 9,100 tons of albacore to StarKist, his numbers just don't add up with what our longliners have reported to the federal government and ASG. According to the Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center of the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), which is part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), an agency of the federal government, last year American Samoa’s longliners supplied roughly 5,700 total tons of albacore. On average, according to NOAA, they supply only about 3,000 to 4,000 tons per year, unless, of course, Mr. Sanchez is reporting a different amount of his catch to the federal government."
"On the issue of lightmeat tuna, our US tuna purse seiners catch more than 130,000 tons of lightmeat tuna per year which they supply to our canneries. Of this 130,000 tons, our longliners supply zero percent, and I stand by this fact. For Mr. Sanchez’s information, our canneries purchase anywhere from 10 to 20% of lightmeat tuna from other sources, including American Samoa’s longliners. Of this amount, our longliners supply very, very little of this lightmeat tuna. In total, of the more than 200,000 tons of fish (albacore plus lightmeat tuna) that is processed by our canneries every year, the contribution of American Samoa’s longliners is barely above 4,000 tons, if that. If Mr. Sanchez wants to quibble about these facts, so be it. But, as for me, as much as I appreciate our longliners, I stand by the information I have been provided by two of the three branded US canned tuna companies, the American Tunaboat Association which represents almost the entire US tuna fishing fleet including new boats and old, and NOAA’s Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center, a federal agency which administers scientific research and monitoring programs that support the domestic and international conservation and management of living marine resources."
"If Mr. Sanchez has information to the contrary, let him present it instead of making inaccurate statements that affect the US tuna industry and the livelihood of our cannery workers. Also, let him be clear about the Western Pacific Fisheries Management Council (WPFMC). My office is not represented in the Council, as this is not the way the Council operates. ASG is represented in the Council by those who Governor Togiola appoints. Therefore, if Mr. Sanchez is upset that his concerns about American Samoa’s local longliners not being allowed to fish in the South Pacific Tuna Treaty area were not forwarded by the Council or the Governor, he should take up the matter with them, not with me. Also, at no time did Mr. Sanchez, the Council, or the Governor ever contact my office to request my assistance in supporting our local longliners in their effort to be included in the South Pacific Tuna Treaty."
"Regarding Mr. Finete's complaint that I didn't respond to his letter of June 18 about President Bush's proposal to establish marine conservation monuments around areas where our US tunaboats fish including Baker Island, Howland Island, Jarvis Island, Johnston Atoll, Kingman Reef, Palmyra Atoll, and Wake Island, as a matter of record, my office was already involved in the issue long before Mr. Finete contacted my office. Furthermore, one week after requesting my assistance in keeping these waters open for our old US tunaboat owners, Mr. Finete sent a confidential letter dated June 26 to Governor Togiola stating he was opposed to my efforts to allow the newest US tunaboat owners to also fish in these waters. Which way does Mr. Finete want it? Does Mr. Finete want our US tunaboat owners to be able to fish in these waters? If so, why is he opposing my efforts to make this happen? Mr. Finete cannot have it both ways. On the one hand, he cannot ask me to ask the President to allow the old US tunaboat owners to continue to fish in these waters and, on the other hand, write letters to the Governor opposing my efforts to allow the newest US tunaboat owners to also fish in these waters. Until Mr. Finete makes up his mind about what he wants and deals openly with my office and our people, I have no intention of responding to his letter."
"Finally, regarding Mr. Sanchez's request to meet with me, as I said before, the door to my office is always open. However, as Mr. Sanchez said, when we put our facts on the table, it would be 'like comparing bananas and coconuts.' On this point we agree. Without a doubt, Mr. Sanchez and Mr. Finete have made allegations that are simply not true concerning my efforts to keep our canneries strong and protect the jobs of our cannery workers. Anyone who reviews my work will know that for the past 20 years I have always supported the old tunaboats, and continue to do so. I will also continue to support the new tunaboats being added to our fleet because a strong fleet is critical for American Samoa’s canneries. Above all, I will do everything I can to protect our workers and economy, especially since more than 80% of our private sector economy is dependent either directly or indirectly on our two canneries which employ more than 74% of our private sector workforce."
"Despite whatever personal or political agenda they may have, if Mr. Sanchez, Mr. Finete, and Mr. Radewagen, husband of my opponent, Mrs. Amua Amata Coleman Radewagen, choose to continue to criticize me for putting the people of American Samoa first, let them. As I said from the outset, it will be up to our people to decide for themselves if my efforts are, in fact, in their best interest. Ultimately, the voters of American Samoa will make that decision on November 4 in this year's Congressional election when they will choose either to accept or reject the false allegations being put forward," Faleomavaega concluded.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 1, 2008
Washington, D.C. - Faleomavaega responds to Carlos Sanchez regarding American Samoa's fishing fleet
Congressman Faleomavaega announced today that he is responding to Mr. Carlos Sanchez's guest editorial entitled, "American Samoa Fishing Fleet are not U.S. Purse Seiner Boats" published by Samoa News on July 22, 2008.
"I want to thank Mr. Sanchez for sharing his views regarding American Samoa's fishing fleet," Faleomavaega said. "Regarding our canneries and fishing fleet, I also want to clear up some misleading misinformation Mr. Sanchez has put forward."
"First, regarding our new tuna purse seiners, Mr. Sanchez states that the "new tuna purse seiner boats were not built to supply American Samoa canneries."
"For Mr. Sanchez's information, as part of the agreement negotiated by the US State Department, the US Department of Commerce and the South Pacific Tuna Corporation, all of the fish from the new boats must be offered to US processors before any of the fish can be sold on the international market. Chicken of the Sea/Samoa Packing and Bumble Bee have the first right to purchase because these two processors entered into a contractual agreement to make sure their canneries are supplied. As the former manager of StarKist's fishing fleet, Mr. Sanchez knows full well that StarKist also contracts directly with boat owners to make sure that its cannery is supplied. Why StarKist chose not to contract with any of the new boats is not known to me but it may have had something to do with its decision to sell its cannery in American Samoa. On the other hand, Chicken of the Sea/Samoa Packing has made a long-term commitment to American Samoa and has signed on to buy fish from the new tuna purse seiner boats."
"Two, Mr. Sanchez states that the new boats will "transship their fish without having to go to port."
"Regarding whether or not these boats ever pull into our port is something neither I nor our local government can control. These boats, like Mr. Sanchez's smaller boats, are privately owned and, therefore, neither the federal government nor the local government can make them buy their fuel or supplies in American Samoa. If it is in their business interest to offload their fish on the high-seas, then I am sure they will do what they can to maximize their bottom line just like Mr. Sanchez and our canneries do what they can to maximize their bottom lines. As I have stated from the start, my concern is to make sure that our canneries have enough fish to stay in business and, if this means that in addition to buying from the old boats our canneries also have to buy fish from new boats that may or may not offload in American Samoa, then this is what it means."
"Three, Mr. Sanchez states that "no Samoans are on-board the new boats.”"
"On this point, Mr. Sanchez should know that if Samoans choose to be on the new boats, they can be, as the South Pacific Tuna Corporation assured me from the outset that they want to hire Samoans. For Samoans interested in working on these boats, they are welcome to contact my office and I will refer their applications to the South Pacific Tuna Corporation."
"Four, Mr. Sanchez asks what my "agenda" is and why I am helping these new boats."
"I would remind Mr. Sanchez that my position is a matter of public record. As I have repeatedly stated, I am helping our boats because the remaining 14 boats from the old fleet can no longer supply our canneries with all the fish they need to stay in business. No fish means no canneries and no canneries means no jobs for our workers. Chicken of the Sea/Samoa Packing, which is one of our largest employers in the Territory, recognizes this fact and has contracted with the new boats for the sole purpose of keeping its plant open in American Samoa, and you better believe I am going to do everything I can to help, and to make sure our workers keep their jobs. If this means supporting the new boats, then I am supporting the new boats. I am also supporting the old boats, as I have for the past twenty years. However, I would prefer not to refer to our fleet as old boats versus new boats. As far as I am concerned, there is only one US tuna fishing fleet and it includes the old boats, new boats, and American Samoa's longliners."
"Five, Mr. Sanchez criticizes Bumble Bee for not having a cannery in American Samoa."
"Regardless of whether or not Bumble Bee owns a cannery in American Samoa, Bumble Bee has invested in the US tuna fishing fleet, and always has, which indirectly benefits American Samoa. Bumble Bee also worked side by side with American Samoa to keep our canneries open when StarKist tried to sell us off to Ecuador during the Andean Trade debate. Because of Bumble Bee’s support, the jobs of more than 5,000 workers in American Samoa were protected. Bumble Bee is our friend and I will continue to work with friends who support our people."
"Six, Mr. Sanchez criticizes Chicken of the Sea/Samoa Packing for being owned by Thai Union, implying that Thai Union may buy the fish caught by the new boats."
"Once again, the new boats are contractually bound to offer their fish to Chicken of the Sea/Samoa Packing or Bumble Bee before they can sell their fish to anyone else. Also, StarKist is soon to be owned by a Korean business, which negates Mr. Sanchez's comments about Chicken of the Sea/Samoa Packing being owned by a company in Thailand."
"Seven, Mr. Sanchez states that "Faleomavaega and the local government haven't done anything about the shipyard" and that "the American Samoa shipyard receives zero help from the local government, zero help from the development bank, and zero help from Faleomavaega."
"Clearly, Mr. Sanchez knows very little about the history or operations of our shipyard. When I worked as legal counsel to the late Congressman Phil Burton, Congress appropriated $4 million to renovate our shipyard which at the time was managed by ASG. During the Lutali Administration, ASG privatized the shipyard meaning ASG entered into a long-term lease agreement to turn over the operations and management of the shipyard to Southwest Marine, a company with offices in San Diego, California. Since that time and by contractual agreement, the shipyard has been and is the responsibility of Southwest Marine of Samoa, not the responsibility of the federal or local government. It is my understanding that Southwest Marine of Samoa is now interested in subleasing the shipyard to another company and discussions are ongoing with the local government."
"Eight, Mr. Sanchez states, "If our Congressman is so magnanimous and has a priority goal of helping American Samoa, he will have to step down and see the ‘real’ American Samoa fishing fleet – the American Samoa longliner boats."
"While I certainly appreciate Mr. Sanchez and our longliner boats, I think it is important for our people to know the following:
A. Our canneries process two kinds of tuna, albacore and lightmeat.
B. Of the two tunas, our canneries process more lightmeat than albacore.
C. The large US tuna purse seiner vessels catch mostly lightmeat tuna.
D. Mr. Sanchez and the smaller longliner boats catch mostly albacore.
E. Of the approximately 70,000 tons of albacore processed by our canneries per year, Mr. Sanchez and his longliner boats supply about 3 tons of albacore, which is not even one percent of the albacore our canneries need. In fact, most of the albacore supplied to our canneries comes from Taiwanese longliners, and having been in the business for more than 30 years, Mr. Sanchez knows this is the case.
F. Regarding lightmeat tuna, the longliners supply zero percent of the more than 130,000 tons of lightmeat tuna that is caught by the US tuna purse seiners and processed by our canneries every year.
"Given these facts, it is not right for Mr. Sanchez to mislead our people by suggesting that the 'real' fleet is only made up of longliners. The truth is, our 'real' fleet is made up of longliners and US tuna purse seiner vessels, both old and new. Having said this, Mr. Sanchez and I agree that American Samoa should build up its local fishing industry. Both canneries have tried to assist in this effort, and I believe both would be open to continued discussions."
"Nine, Mr. Sanchez asks where I was regarding a request from American Samoa's longliner fishing fleet to be allowed to fish in the South Pacific Tuna Treaty Area."
"For the record, I am committed to doing whatever I can do to make it possible for American Samoa's longliners to fish in the South Pacific Tuna Treaty Area. However, at no time has Mr. Sanchez ever written a letter requesting my support for this important initiative. About two months ago, I first learned of the longliner's interest when Vince Haleck, who also owns longliner boats, called my office to ask for my help. I assured Mr. Haleck that I will work to get this effort underway, and I welcome the opportunity to work with Mr. Sanchez, too."
"Ten, Mr. Sanchez states that he requested two meetings with me and, on both occasions, my staff cancelled an hour before the scheduled meetings."
"For this, I apologize. While I was unaware of these appointments, I accept full responsibility and publicly offer my sincerest apologies to Mr. Sanchez. Despite whatever differences we may have, we share the same beliefs and goals. Like Mr. Sanchez, I believe American Samoa's EEZ should be reserved for our local fisherman. I also believe that American Samoa's longliners should be allowed to fish in the South Pacific Tuna Treaty Area, and in the near future I hope to meet with Mr. Sanchez to discuss these issues further," Faleomavaega concluded.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 1, 2008
Washington, D.C. -- Faleomavaega ends weekly radio program on KNWJ - FM 104
Congressman Faleomavaega announced today that in fairness to the other candidates who are vying for American Samoa's seat in the U.S. Congress, he has decided to end his weekly radio program on FM-104 immediately. For the past few years, Congressman Faleomavaega has been a guest-host on FM-104 each Wednesday evening discussing important issues he is diligently working on in the Congress as well as his efforts in working with the different Federal agencies for the benefit of American Samoa. The program also allowed for the general public to call in with comments or questions.
"The radio program has been a great service in informing our community about the issues and matters I am working on in Washington on behalf of our territory," Faleomavaega said. "It also has offered an excellent opportunity for our community to ask me questions or to seek assistance from my office on issues of concern to them."
"I want to thank Mr. Gary Sword, CEO of FM-104 and his staff assistants, Mauga and Tina, for all their assistance and professionalism which has made the program a great success. Our community, both locally and those living abroad who listen in through the Internet have benefited enormously from the program and by FM-104’s service," concluded Faleomavaega.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 18, 2008
Washington, D.C. -- Faleomavaega requests oversight hearing on GAO Study of American Samoa's Judicial system
Congressman Faleomavaega announced today that he has written to Congresswoman Donna Christensen, Chairwoman of the House Subcommittee on Insular Affairs, to request an oversight hearing on the GAO report on American Samoa’s judicial system. The complete text of the letter is included below.
Dear Chairwoman Christensen:
On June 27, 2008, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report detailing the findings of its study on American Samoa's judiciary system. The report titled American Samoa: Issues Associated with Potential Changes to the Current System for Adjudicating Matters of Federal Law was in response to a request I submitted in 2006, joined by Chairman Rahall and former Chairman Richard Pombo of the Natural Resources Committee, asking GAO for an assessment of the judicial system in American Samoa.
For your information, this is the first time in 108 years that the GAO has even conducted a comprehensive review of the American Samoa's court system, and the study revealed many issues that both Congress and the people and leaders of the territory need to address.
After reviewing the report, along with numerous discussions with GAO officials, I have informed GAO officials that the study did not offer specific recommendations on what Congress and the local government needed to address. It appears also that the study did not provide a complete analysis of costs and benefits associated with the possible presence of a federal district court for American Samoa.
Another critical area missing in the report is a comparative cost analysis of the judiciary systems as they are now implemented among the other U.S. territories, especially the question of control and administration of federal courts in Guam, CNMI, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Unlike other U.S. territories, Congress has yet to establish an organic act to provide for a government for the islands of Tutuila, Manu’a (Ofu, Olosega, Ta’u), Aunu’u and Swains Island (Olohenga). Instead, Congress in 1929, simply enacted a law not only to ratify the two treaties of cessions (Tutuila Treaty of 1900, and the Manu’a Treaty of 1904), but also delegated all military, judicial, and administrative authority to the President or his assignee (currently the Secretary of the Interior), to administer these islands.
Faleomavaega concluded his letter by stating that, "I believe an oversight hearing on the GAO report on American Samoa's judiciary system will be most beneficial to the members of the subcommittee, and I respectfully request the appropriate officials from GAO, DOI and the local government should be invited to testify, hopefully sometime in September before adjournment. As always, I will appreciate your support in this effort."
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 17, 2008
Washington, D.C. -- Faleomavaega responds to Joe Finete's misleading statements regarding US Tuna Fishing Fleet in American Samoa
Congressman Faleomavaega announced today that he is responding to false statements made by Joe Finete as reported by Samoa News in a July 14, 2008 article entitled "Tuna boat owners oppose Eni's EEZ provision."
"To strengthen our US tuna fishing fleet and to make sure our tuna canneries have enough fish coming in to protect the jobs of our workers, I introduced a bill to allow newly built US tuna boats to fish in the waters around Howland Island, Baker Island, Kingman Reef, Palmyra Atoll, and Wake Island. It is also my intent to exclude new members of our fleet from fishing in the EEZs of American Samoa, Guam, and CNMI. Mr. Finete opposes my efforts,” Faleomavaega said.
"For the record, Mr. Finete is a career fisherman who owns two tuna boats that are part of the old US tuna fishing fleet. Mr Finete is also the Chairman of the US Tunaboat Owners Coalition, a coalition he recently established in San Diego at his home address with Mr. Manase Mansur, a former Republican lobbyist and long-time supporter of Mrs. Aumua Amata Coleman Radewagen, as his Executive Director."
"At this time, it is my understanding that Mr. Finete's coalition is composed of one boat owner, meaning himself. If other tuna boat owners belong to his coalition, I am hopeful they will come forward so that we can work together to clear up the misinformation Mr. Finete has put forward."
"As Mr. Finete knows, the American Tunaboat Association, which was established more than 30 years ago, is the association that represents almost the entire US tuna fishing fleet which includes about 26 or 27 boats, both old and new. Mr. Finete also knows that many of the tuna boat owners do not agree with his actions or accusations and that the American Tunaboat Association is not involved in his efforts."
"Nevertheless, I appreciate that Mr. Finete is doing business in American Samoa and I thank him for delivering his fish to our canneries for the past 20 years. Like every other tuna boat owner, I want Mr. Finete to do well and make as much money as he can. But I will not support Mr. Finete’s efforts to put himself before the welfare of our people. Frankly, I believe it is wrong for Mr. Finete to assert that American Samoa should only be concerned about his two boats. American Samoa must be concerned about our entire fishing fleet as well as our two canneries. Currently, we do not have enough boats to supply our canneries with the fish they need. No fish means no canneries and no canneries mean no jobs for our more than 5,000 tuna cannery workers. So while I would like to support Mr. Finete, I believe his views are shortsighted and politically motivated."
"As I reported to the Fono in a letter dated June 12, 2008, Mr. Fred Radewagen, a senior advisor to his wife, Mrs. Aumua Amata Coleman Radewagen, has contacted lobbyists in Washington DC to oppose the legislation which I introduced to strengthen our US tuna fishing fleet. As a result of his efforts, Mr. Finete's coalition is now being represented by a lobbyist who has been hired to prevent new members of the US tuna fishing fleet from fishing in the uninhabited waters north of Samoa including Baker, Howland, Jarvis, Johnston, Kingman Reef, Palmyra Atoll, and Wake Islands thus harming the US tuna fish fleet’s ability to supply our canneries with fish which could in the long-term cost our cannery workers' their jobs."
"Serving as Mr. Finete's Executive Director is Mrs. Aumua Amata Radewagen's long-time supporter, Mr. Mansur. While Mr. Finete, Mr. Radewagen, and Mr. Mansur are entitled to pursue whatever course they wish, I believe our people deserve to know the truth about the misleading reports and rumors they are perpetuating, and this is why I am responding to Mr. Finete's letter dated June 26 which he wrote to Governor Togiola and copied to the Lieutenant Governor, President of the Senate, and Speaker of the House."
"One, in his letter of June 26, Mr. Finete implies that Governor Togiola supports his efforts to undermine my work on behalf of our people. Given that I have never heard from the Governor about this subject, I am unclear as to what Mr. Finete means by implying that the Governor is on his team."
"Two, in his letter to Governor Togiola, Mr. Finete claims that I made false and inaccurate statements. However, because Mr. Finete knows this is not true, he fails to support his position."
Three, Mr. Finete states I am "giving away American Samoa's valuable ship-building entitlement." Once again, this is not true. The United States has not built a tuna boat for the past 30 years, and American Samoa has never built a tuna fishing vessel. Furthermore, at no time in American Samoa’s 40-year association with the US tuna boats have the US tuna boats ever worked with ASG to establish a shipyard which could do major repair work. On the other hand, Mr. Finete has delivered fish to American Samoa's canneries for more than 20 years. So, if Mr. Finete was sincere about establishing a major shipyard in American Samoa, where was Mr. Finete 20 years ago? Why was he not investing in American Samoa way back then? Why is Mr. Finete just now suggesting ASG can build a major shipyard knowing full well the costs are too high to be competitive? And, if Mr. Finete supports American shipyards, why is it that not too long ago Mr. Finete himself chose to have his own boats repaired in New Zealand and not in American Samoa or anywhere else in the United States? I submit Mr. Finete, from San Diego, is intentionally misleading the Governor and our Fono for purposes of protecting the interests of his two boats. And while I support Mr. Finete's right to look after his two boats, the people of American Samoa have elected me to look after their future, and this is what I will do."
Four, Mr. Finete claims that I am taking away the "exclusive right of US-built boats to fish in neighboring US Pacific Islands' waters." This is untrue. The boats to which Mr. Finete refers are US flag ships and are a rightful part of our US tuna fishing fleet. The boats were built in Taiwan because, as I previously stated, the US has not built a tuna boat in 30 years, and, as a career fisherman and a boat owner, Mr. Finete knows this. Mr. Finete also knows that the US State Department and the US Department of Commerce allowed the new tuna boats to be built in Taiwan and that these boats fly the US flag because, as a matter of national policy, the US wants to strengthen the presence of the US tuna fishing fleet as agreed upon with the South Pacific Island Nations under the provisions of the South Pacific Tuna Treaty. While I did not negotiate this agreement, I fully support it because a strong US tuna fishing fleet is in the best interest of American Samoa."
Five, Mr. Finete states the new boats can take fish "without any guarantee that they will bring their catch to American Samoa's canneries." This statement is also misleading. By way of contractual agreement, Chicken of the Sea and Bumble Bee have the first right to purchase the fish caught by our new US tuna boats meaning that when these boats are ready to sell their catch, both Chicken of the Sea and Bumble Bee have the first right to purchase the fish caught by these US tuna boats."
Six, Mr. Finete refers to my legislation as "secret." The legislation I introduced to make sure our canneries have enough fish, that our workers have their jobs, and that our economy stays strong is no secret. It is a matter of public record that I introduced H.R. 3669 on September 26, 2007. Regarding Mr. Finete’s assertion that I should have consulted with our local leaders before introducing it, I do not expect the Governor and the Fono to consult with me about legislation they introduce locally or how they manage or spend our funds. While I sometimes disagree with the way they manage education, healthcare, and other issues, they answer to the people, not to me. I also answer to the people, and it is up to the people who elected me to decide if I am representing and protecting their interests in the US Congress."
Seven, Mr. Finete states my legislation is "shocking" because the waters around Baker, Howland, Jarvis, Johnston, Kingman Reef, Palmyra Atoll, and Wake Island are "reserved under law for boats built under the US flag." Again, Mr. Finete is wrong as my legislation is built on US policy. US policy allows for US flag ships built in foreign countries to fish in fishery conservation zones and territorial seas adjacent to the Pacific territories. This policy was established almost 25 years ago when Representative Tony Won Pat of Guam authored legislation to promote the US fishing industry in the Pacific. My legislation simply builds on this policy to include US flag tuna purse seine vessels to ensure that our tuna fleet is revitalized and our canneries have enough fish to process in order to stay in American Samoa."
Eight, Mr. Finete calls into question my arithmetic. He states there are currently "26 boats in the US tuna fleet," implying that they were all built in the US. What he fails to state is that about 14, as I have said all along, are part of the old fleet. Mr. Finete fails to clarify this point because he clearly wishes to mislead our people. As I stated previously, our fishing fleet used to have about 30 to 35 tuna boats which were built in the US and based out of San Diego. Over time, the fleet dwindled down to about 14 boats. To build our fleet back up, roughly ten to twelve new boats have been built in Taiwan making our current fleet at about 26 boats. For Mr. Finete to now suggest that the 26 boats in our fleet have been built in the US is untrue. Mr. Finete knows about ten boats have already been built in Taiwan and that as many as four more may yet be built bringing our fleet back up to about 30."
Nine, Mr. Finete also knows that the US State Department is prepared to cap our fleet at about 40 boats. Therefore, for Mr. Finete to state that "there is a real opportunity for new US-built tuna boats" to be built in American Samoa or other parts of the US is also misleading. Mr. Finete knows there is no real opportunity for new boats to be built in the US. Again, he knows that our new US boats are being built in Taiwan because the US has not built a new tuna boat in the past 30 years. He also knows that US shipyards are in decline and, as I said before, this is why not too long ago he himself took his own boats to New Zealand for repair where he paid out millions of dollars to New Zealand shipyards rather than to American Samoa or any other shipyard in America."
"Ten, despite Mr. Finete's attempts to mislead our people on these important points, I have every confidence that our people will see that Mr. Finete's complaints are politically motivated and based on his own desire to protect his self-interests. Again, while I want to see Mr. Finete succeed and while I truly appreciate the contribution he has made in offloading his fish at our canneries, it is my responsibility to put the interests of our people first. Progress hurts but progress demands that we add new boats to the tuna fishing fleet to ensure that our canneries remain open."
"While these boats may have been foreign-built, they are US vessels and they fly the American flag. Like every other US tuna boat, the US State Department and US Department of Commerce have determined that they have every right to fish in the South Pacific Tuna Treaty Area. I believe they also have the right to fish in the uninhabited islands of Baker, Howland, Jarvis, Johnston, Kingman Reef, Palmyra Atoll, and Wake Island, as the US established this policy 25 years ago by allowing US flag ships of 200 tons built in foreign countries to fish in fishery conservation zones and territorial seas adjacent to the Pacific territories. Twenty-five years later, I am only including tuna purse seine vessels to ensure that our tuna fleet is revitalized and our canneries have the fish they need to protect our workers' jobs."
"Regarding the EEZs of American Samoa, Guam, and CNMI, I prefer that these waters be left for our local fishermen. I am very aware that the old US tuna boats rarely fish in our EEZs and I am pleased that the new boats support my position that they will not be allowed to fish within our EEZz. However, I would encourage Mr. Finete and his coalition to work more closely with the American Tunaboat Association which has informed my office that it wants access to our EEZs, a position I will not support."
"Once more, the American Tunaboat Association represents almost the entire US tuna fishing fleet, or 26 or 27 tuna boat owners, and has chosen to remain neutral on whether or not the new tuna boats should be allowed to fish in the uninhabited islands of Baker, Howland, Jarvis, Johnston, Kingman Reef, Palmyra Atoll, and Wake Island. However, given that Mr. Finete has hired a Washington lobbyist under the name of his coalition, I believe it is time for the American Tunaboat Association to also take a stand."
"In the meantime, although Mr. Finete has never contacted my office nor did he copy me on his letter, my door remains open and I will do all I can to assist him and make sure that he enjoys 20 more years of good business in American Samoa. In fact, I am hopeful to meet with the Chairman of Donwong Industries in the near future if they buy StarKist, and I would be more than happy to bring some of Mr. Finete’s concerns to the table including how we can work together to make sure our old tuna boats have some kind of negotiated opportunity to offload their fresh fish to our canneries," Faleomavaega concluded.
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