March 21, 2017 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — Extensions of Remarks E353 EXTENSIONS OF REMARKS

TRIBUTES HONORING FORMER As a veteran, whose long-term health suf- O le lagia lava lea o le Tafatolu o lau CONGRESSMAN FALEOMAVAEGA fered due to his service in Vietnam, Eni dedi- faigamalo Amerika Samoa, tulou, tulou, tulou, ENI FA’AUA’A HUNKIN, JR. cated his life to improving the conditions for tulouna lava. our veterans in American Samoa, and took Taluai o lea ua ou tula’i mai i le tofi Faipule HON. AUMUA AMATA COLEMAN great pride in securing funds to build the local i le Konekeresi i le Laumua i Uosigitone, o lea VA Clinic, which has served our veterans well. ou te fa’apea atu ai i le Faletua ia Hinanui ma RADEWAGEN Although I myself am not a veteran, I come OF AMERICAN SAMOA le nofo a Alo loto fa’avauvau aemaise le tagi from a family with a strong military tradition. mai ala o le paia i Aiga ma Paolo ma Gafa sili IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES My grandfather, father, several brothers and i lagi tainane le Malo o Amerika Samoa ma le Tuesday, March 21, 2017 three nephews are, so I appreciate the needs tapuaiga I le Malo Tuto’atasi i le Usoga Mrs. RADEWAGEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise of our veterans and am as devoted to them as Tumua ma Pule: today to honor my friend and former Member Eni was. As a member of the House Veterans Affairs ‘‘Amuia e fa’anoanoa, aua e of Congress Faleomavaega Eni Fa’aua’a fa’amafanafanaina i latou.’’ Hunkin who served honorably as the rep- Committee, I was in a position to offer legisla- resentative for American Samoa for 26 years. tion to name our local VA clinic in his honor. f I want to thank everyone for being here and He was primarily responsible for the establish- particularly want to acknowledge my friend ment of this clinic, so I could think of no more appropriate way to permanently honor his CELEBRATION OF THE LIFE OF Hinanui Hunkin, who came all the way from ENI F.H. FALEOMAVAEGA Utah with her children to be at this service. memory and legacy than by dedicating the Because he spent over 30 years of his career clinic to him. Because of his long service in in the nation’s capital, it is only fitting to have the House, he is remembered by many Mem- HON. COLLEEN HANABUSA a memorial service for Eni here. He would be bers on both sides of the aisle who helped gratified to see how he touched so many peo- smooth the path for this tribute. As much as OF HAWAII ple who would come out to pay tribute to him. people complain about the slowness of the IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES Congressman Faleomavaega was a soldier legislative process, my bill passed the House Tuesday, March 21, 2017 and a statesman who dedicated his entire life in less than a week, the Senate passed it a to serving the United States and the people of week later and in short order it was on the Ms. HANABUSA. Mr. Speaker, I remember president’s desk for signature. American Samoa. Indeed, his entire career the first time I met Eni. It was in the Supreme After enactment of this legislation, I made was devoted to public service and social jus- Court of the State of Hawaii. As the Judiciary arrangements for Members to speak of their tice. He was a champion of Native Americans, and Hawaiian Affairs Chair for the Hawaii colleague Eni on the floor of the House and Native Hawaiians and the Melanesian natives State Senate, I was speaking on behalf of a am pleased to say that those tributes were de- of West Papua. His causes were many. He Circuit Court Judge, the first of American Sa- livered for the record, in addition to press strenuously fought against nuclear weaponry, moan ancestry who was confirmed by the statements made and remarks by several from confronting France in French Polynesia Senate and there to receive his oath of office. members on the Floor when we debated the over nuclear testing to pressing for nuclear Eni was there, the Delegate to the Congress VA clinic bill. In most of the stories written cleanup in Central Asia. He took up the cause of the United States from American Samoa, to about Eni’s passing, he was described as the of Korean comfort women, expressed concern show his support for the Judge. Eni was so longest serving Member of Congress in Amer- about disputes in the South China Sea and proud, as if he was being sworn in. I do know even helped solve land disputes in Rapa Nui. ican Samoa’s history. That is a title I expect will be his alone for many, many years to that American Samoans in Hawaii looked up Even as his health began to deteriorate, he re- to Eni as if he was their ultimate role model. fused to cut back his workload or give up any come, perhaps forever. of his important causes. Goodbye My friend. Farewell and God- I was fortunate to serve four years in the Although we had our political differences, it speed. House of Representatives with Eni. I learned never affected our personal friendship or de- (The Samoan version is as follows): from him how we each represent a constitu- votion to the people of American Samoa. E muamua ona ou Fa’atulou Le Pa’ia o le ency that deserves our advocacy, albeit that There was very little on which we disagreed Maota Namu Asi, i le Paia O le lagi, ma le we may come from islands in the vast Pacific when it came to the territory and, in fact, when lagi, ma le lagi tulou, tulouna ia, tulouna lava. Ocean. I learned that our voices are equal to I came into office, I picked up right where he O Paia o le aufaigaluega totofi a le Atua i ona our colleagues and it is up to us to ensure that left off in a lawsuit before the U.S. Supreme Tafa’i Va’aia, ou to fa’atulou atu. we are heard. Court involving Samoan citizenship and voting E le vaea fo’i le fala fofola loa o Samoa mai My favorite memory of Eni comes from 2012 rights. We both believed American Samoa’s Saua e o’o atu i Salafai nu’unu’u atu fa’atini o when he performed the formal Samoan dance political should not be decided in a federal tausala. O lo’o mamalu fo’i le aofia i le Afio with his niece to honor the retirement of our courtroom thousands of miles away; most im- Mai O Le Kovana Sili o le malo o Amerika much beloved and respected Senator Daniel portantly, it should be decided by our own Samoa, le tofa i le to’oto’o ia Lolo Moliga ma K. Akaka. Eni told me Senator Akaka was his people at a time of own choosing. Our ap- le Masiofo ia Cynthia, le afio i le Lutena friend and his Senator. Eni proudly showed proaches to issues were different and that Kovana ma le kapeneta, le paia o maota e lua me his tattoos, made the traditional way. I was often put us at odds with one another, but it i le afio o le Peresetene ma le senate, le in awe of his strength and perseverance. Fofogafetalai ma le Maota o Sui, o le mamalu was always with the utmost respect and Most importantly, I will never forget the lava lea o le afio o le fa’amasino sili ma le grace, which allowed us to form the bond that friendship of Eni and his wonderful smile and vaega o fa’amasinoga tulou, tulou lava. we would come to share . . . One I am very big bear hug I was so fortunate to receive E le fa’agaloina le tapuaiga i uso i sisifo i le thankful for, and will never forget. Ours was a whenever I saw him. Upon my return to Con- afio i le ao o le malo tuto’atasi, le Palemia ma true friendship that demonstrated that, despite gress, my first questions were about Eni and le Palemene o Samoa, ma le usoga ia Tumua our differences in political party, we can all if anyone had seen him. come together for the good of those we serve. ma Pule. Partisan differences on national issues never Ua tu mai nei Lagi le laga’ali a Tamafaiga, I will miss you my friend. interfered with our relationship because we a ua tagita’amilo le Manuali’i ina ua ta’ape My condolences to his wife, Hinanui were very much of one mind when it came to papa, ae tafea le tau’ofe i le Afioga a Bambridge Cave, and their five children. federal policy and funding for American Faleomavaega Eni Hunkin sa tu i le tofi o lo’o Mahalo (Thank You) for sharing him with us Samoa. o’u tauaveina nei i Uosigitone. for all these years.

∑ This ‘‘bullet’’ symbol identifies statements or insertions which are not spoken by a Member of the Senate on the floor. Matter set in this typeface indicates words inserted or appended, rather than spoken, by a Member of the House on the floor.

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HONORING THE LIFE AND LEGACY the extraordinary life of Eni Fa’aua’a Hunkin I’m Congressman PAUL GOSAR and I rep- OF REP. ENI FALEOMAVAEGA OF Faleomavaega, Jr., who passed away last resent Arizona’s Fourth Congressional District. AMERICAN SAMOA month at the age of 73. Eni Faleomavaega I am also Chairman of the Congressional was not only my colleague, he was my friend. Western Caucus, Chairman of the House HON. MADELEINE Z. BORDALLO Eni was the senior delegate and, therefore, Committee on Natural Resources Sub- OF GUAM the dean of the delegates. We became friends committee on Energy and Mineral Resources, from the time I was elected in 1990. Eni was IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES and Vice-Chairman of the House Committee as affable as he was serious and dedicated to on Oversight and Government Reform. Tuesday, March 21, 2017 his constituents in American Samoa. He was I would like to start by thanking Congress- Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I rise to the first person of Asian-Pacific descent to woman AMATA for her great leadership in the honor the life and legacy of my good friend chair the House Subcommittee on Asia, the House of Representatives and for organizing and our former colleague from American Pacific, and the Global Environment, later this bipartisan special order today to pay trib- Samoa, Congressman Eni Faleomavaega, serving as ranking member. ute to our colleague Eni. who passed away on February 22, 2017. Eni was fully prepared for his leadership On February 22, 2017, a Member of the Throughout his 26 years here in the House of roles in the Congress. He served his country House who served the Congress and rep- Representatives, Eni was a tireless champion for three years during the Vietnam War. Eni resented the people of American Samoa for for the people of American Samoa, an advo- put his education at Brigham Young University 26 years, passed away out West while at his cate for the U.S. territories, and leader on and the University of Houston Law Center to home in Utah. issues affecting the Asian American and Pa- a lifetime of public service. He served the peo- Eni was a patriot who honorably served this cific Islander community. He was also a leader ple of American Samoa in critical positions. great nation in uniform in the U.S. Army. Un- Eni Faleomavaega was deputy attorney gen- on the House Foreign Affairs Committee on fortunately, he was exposed to Agent Orange eral and, later, lieutenant governor of Amer- issues important to the Asia-Pacific region. during one of his tours, something that nega- ican Samoa. Eni was the administrative assist- More importantly, he got leaders in Congress tively impacted his health for the rest of his ant to American Samoa Delegate A.U. and in administration after administration to life. Fuimaono before he was elected to that posi- Eni did not let this incident hold him back focus on the importance of the Pacific Islands. tion himself in 1988. We are often overlooked in grand Asia strat- Even though the District of Columbia pays though and went on to serve our great country egy but he got policymakers to understand our federal taxes (highest per capita in the U.S.), for nearly three decades as the Delegate for importance to the world community. the delegates have much in common and al- American Samoa. He also served the territory I am proud to have worked with Eni on a ways worked together. When I discovered that as its Lieutenant Governor. number of issues that impact the Asia-Pacific the D.C. flag was not carried by D.C. troops I got to know Eni through our work together region and the 4.5 million Americans living in as state troops do, further investigation on the House Committee on Natural Re- the territories. For much of my time here in showed that the troops of the territories also sources. Eni was a passionate and effective Congress, Eni was the longest serving rep- did not carry their flags. Yet, the territories and member on issues impacting the Pacific. resentative from a U.S. territory, so he was the District have served their country in nota- Eni was a devoted husband and father of the Dean of what we refer to as our Territorial bly-disproportionate numbers. All of us signed five children. Eni and his wife were active Caucus. I leaned on his advice and appre- a letter to House and Senate Armed Services members of their church. ciated his insightful perspectives that were committees. Working together, we got this fail- Family, friends and colleagues were sad- grounded in not only his almost three decades ure to acknowledge all our troops corrected by dened to learn of his passing last month. This as a Member of Congress, but also his work the Congress. demonstrates just how much he will be in public service as American Samoa’s Lieu- I was particularly appreciative of Eni’s initia- missed. I am confident there will be a large tenant Governor and Deputy Attorney General, tives. For example, he introduced the bill to turnout next Saturday the 25th at his memorial as a staffer here on Capitol Hill, and service cancel the trademark using the disparaging service and subsequent reception that follows in the U.S. Army. He, like many Members in word ‘‘Redskins,’’ the name of the District of to celebrate his life. this body, fought hard to secure much needed Columbia’s football team. That challenge has Again, I would like to thank Congresswoman federal funding for American Samoa. Eni had been vindicated, but is now on appeal. AMATA for organizing this most worthy tribute a broad vision but never forgot his constitu- Delegates have always supported one an- to our colleague Eni. Eni left big shoes to fill, ents. He never forgot the people that gave him other on issues unique to their districts. I ap- but Congresswoman AMATA has stepped up, the privilege to serve in this esteemed body. preciate that all the Democratic delegates are continued the excellent representation the His depth of knowledge and compassion for original cosponsors of my bill to make the Dis- people of American Samoa have come to ex- the less fortunate were evident to everyone he trict of Columbia the 51st state. In the same pect, and become an effective leader that is met, and I will look back fondly on the work way, we supported Eni’s work against nuclear respected throughout the country. that we did together in Congress. testing in the South Pacific. Eni led in the I know Eni would be proud of the Congress- Eni’s passing is a great loss for the people Congress on this critical issue, even boy- woman and the great work she has done for of American Samoa and all Americans, and cotting then-French president Jacques American Samoa. we are all better for having known him. I ex- Chirac’s address before a joint session of f tend my sincere condolences to his family, Congress. Only days before that speech, ENI FALEOMAVAEGA loved ones, and the people of American France was conducting a series of nuclear Samoa, and I join them in celebrating his tests in the South Pacific, despite protests. Eni led the Congress on issues important to memory. I thank my colleague from American HON. STEVE CHABOT American Samoa and to our country. He set a Samoa, Congresswoman RADEWAGEN for or- OF OHIO high standard for representation. Eni ganizing this Special Order, so that this body IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES Faleomavaega was kind and generous, and can appropriately honor and pay tribute to he was intelligent, able, dedicated, and hard- Tuesday, March 21, 2017 Congressman Faleomavaega for his years of working. I miss my friend. So does the Con- dedicated service to his constituents and to Mr. CHABOT. Mr. Speaker, I had the honor gress. our nation. He is deeply missed, but he will of serving on the Foreign Affairs Committee forever be remembered by all who he served. f with Congressman Eni Faleomavaega for 16 years. We got to know each other well in f HONORING THE LIFE AND MEM- ORY OF REPRESENTATIVE ENI 2001, when President Bush nominated the two ENI FA’AUA’A HUNKIN FALEOMAVAEGA of us to be the bipartisan Congressional Dele- FALEOMAVAEGA, JR. gates to the United Nations, and we would travel to New York together to meet with our HON. PAUL A. GOSAR Ambassador and his diplomatic team. HON. ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON OF ARIZONA During Eni’s last term in Congress, I chaired OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES the Asia Pacific Subcommittee. Eni was the Tuesday, March 21, 2017 subcommittee’s Ranking Member. I can tell Tuesday, March 21, 2017 Mr. GOSAR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to you that during that period, we disagreed from Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and memory of a true states- time to time on policy matters, but never were ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing man, Congressman Eni Faleomavaega. we disagreeable. Eni was the consummate

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