Political Quotes

“It is an honor and a privilege for me to serve the people of American Samoa in the U.S. House of Representatives. My home district of American Samoa, an isolated group of islands, is 6 hours by plane south of Hawaii. Sometimes we jokingly refer to our three main exports as canned tuna, military personnel, and NFL players. Today I would like to talk about the canned tuna, though. Due to an oversight, the Fair Minimum Wage Act, which became law in 2007, contained language that stipulated that American Samoa must raise its minimum wage by 50 cents every 3 years starting in 2009 until it meets the Federal standard. Since that time, Congress has graciously granted two waivers to American Samoa which prevents them from having to institute the increase, and wisely so. Had Congress not granted the waivers, the effects would have been absolutely devastating to our local economy, of which the tuna canneries comprise 80 percent. When the Fair Minimum Wage Act was passed in 2007, American Samoa had two canneries on the island. As a direct result of the law and concern with future wage increases, in 2009, the day after a deadly tsunami struck our island, the cannery operated by Chicken of the Sea relocated to Thailand, causing thousands to instantly lose their jobs and hundreds shortly followed.…”