[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 11]
[House]
[Page 16339]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




 FUNDS GOING TO DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE STARKIST CONSENT DECREE STAY ON 
                               THE ISLAND

  (Mrs. RADEWAGEN asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Mrs. RADEWAGEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise in care and concern for my people 
in American Samoa in a time of need. I am humbled to represent them to 
you now.
  Over this Thanksgiving, 2,000 of our families are being put out of 
work and small businesses will lose commerce as American Samoa's only 
large employer closes for a period of 6 weeks.
  The Department of Justice Starkist Consent Decree requires payment of 
$6.3 million. Unfortunately, this money comes to Washington, D.C. The 
workers and their families lose their paychecks. The small businesses 
around them absorb losses. That is wrong. These funds should stay on 
the island to help them through this time.
  In fact, a case won by Attorney General Talauega establishes the 
unique economic responsibility the U.S. has to American Samoa through 
the Deed of Cession.
  American Samoa has high unemployment and low incomes. I ask my 
colleagues to join me in recognizing the burden our Federal Government 
is placing on American Samoa this Thanksgiving.

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