The Pula and Pulu administration’s request for a supplemental appropriation of $744,000 for Fiscal Year 2026 does not conform with budgetary law, according to statements by Senators Togiola Tulafono, Magalei Logovii and Senate President Tuaolo Manaia Fruean.

The supplemental budget bill is intended to restore funding that the Fono cut or removed from the salaries of agencies and departments whose directors were not submitted to the Fono for confirmation.

• $554,000 is to come from local funds for Veterans Affairs, American Samoa Resiliency Office, American Samoa Hawaii Office, Technology Office, Property Management, Public Defender, Arts Council, Criminal Justice Planning Agency Administrative Law Judge and Governor’s Office.
• Grant funds of $100,000 is proposed for Vocational Rehabilitation, Medicaid and American Samoa Environmental Protection Agency.
• $90,000 from Enterprise Funds is proposed for the Sports Complex and Office of Disaster Assistance and Petroleum Management.

According to Senator Togiola the proposed supplemental is not new money, rather it’s money already approved in the FY2026 budget being reprogrammed to fund what the administration is proposing. He believed the proposed supplemental does not comply with the constitution.

The former Governor said the administration should first submit a bill to reduce the budgets that were already approved for departments in order to cover thee supplemental.

Another concern is that the supplemental appropriation proposes using federal grants for Vocational Rehabilitation, Medicaid and the American Samoa Environmental Protection Agency.  Togiola believed the federal grant funds could only be used for what the grantors had approved.

He advised that the Fono attorney review the bill first and inform the Senate if it’s in accordance with budgetary law and process.

Senator Magalei Logovii said he fully agrees with Senator Togiola, that this  bill is not a supplemental budget, rather it’s a reprogramming of funds already approved in the budget.  He also didn’t believe the government has new money to appropriate, pointing out that Treasury ‘s financial report for the 3rd quarter  shows the government is in the red by $6 million. He said if the supplemental appropriation is approved it will just add to the General Fund deficit. “There’s no new money, these are just figures,” he said.

Magalei suggested that the administration use the earnings from the interest account, referring to the ARPA fund interest, to cover the supplemental.

Senate President Tuaolo remarked that he has served the government for 61 years and he agrees with the statements  by Togiola and Magalei concerning the supplemental. It was a reprogramming and not appropriation of new revenues. He quipped, “I’m close to being sent to a mental clinic dealing with what thee governor and his advisors are coming up with.”

Tuaolo said he wanted to see the “smart person” that suggested the proposed supplemental appropriation.