To name the Department of Veterans Affairs community-based outpatient clinic in Pago Pago, American Samoa, the Faleomavaega Eni Fa'aua'a Hunkin VA Clinic.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1362) to name the Department of Veterans Affairs community- based outpatient clinic in Pago Pago, American Samoa, the Faleomavaega Eni Fa'aua'a Hunkin VA Clinic.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and add extraneous materials.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 1362, a bill to name the Department of Veterans Affairs community-based outpatient clinic in Pago Pago, American Samoa, the Faleomavaega Eni Fa'aua'a Hunkin VA Clinic.

I have sponsored this bill in order to honor my predecessor and a true public servant, the Honorable Faleomavaega Eni Fa'aua'a Hunkin.

Born on August 15, 1943, in Vailoatai Village, American Samoa, Mr. Faleomavaega graduated from Brigham Young University in 1966 and subsequently joined the United States Army and served in Vietnam.

However, his career in the Army was just the beginning of his public service. Mr. Faleomavaega served as a staff member to A.U. Fuimaono, American Samoa's first Delegate at-large to Washington, D.C., from 1973 to 1975.

Having earned his law degree from the University of Houston, he next served as staff counsel to the Committee on the Interior and Insular Affairs.

In 1981, Mr. Faleomavaega returned to American Samoa to serve as our deputy attorney general until 1984, then as our lieutenant governor until 1989. During this period, Mr. Faleomavaega reentered military service in the U.S. Army Reserve from 1982 to 1989.

In 1989, Mr. Faleomavaega began his tenure as the congressional Delegate from American Samoa. He went on to win 13 consecutive terms, making him the longest serving Delegate to date from American Samoa.

While in Congress, he diligently served the interests of his constituents as a member of both the House Committee on Foreign Relations and the Committee on Natural Resources.

Sadly, my friend Eni Faleomavaega passed away on February 22. He is survived by his wife, 5 children, and 10 grandchildren.

I would now like to say a few personal words about the man whom I came to call a true friend.

Given that I challenged him for his seat from 1994 until 2014, when I won my first term, Eni and I had a long and complicated relationship. Though we were often at odds politically, we always treated one another with the utmost respect and grace, allowing us to form a shared bond that I am very thankful for and will never forget.

Ours was a true friendship that demonstrated that, despite whatever political differences we may have, we can all come together for the good of those we serve. While we may have had disagreements on national issues, we were very much in sync when it came to Federal policy and funding for American Samoa.

As a veteran whose long-term health suffered due to his service in Vietnam, Eni dedicated his life to improving conditions for veterans in American Samoa and took great pride in securing funds to build the local VA clinic which has served our veterans well.

Therefore, I can think of no better way to memorialize his dedication to the people of American Samoa and his service to our country in uniform than having the local VA clinic in Pago Pago, which he worked so hard for, named in his honor.

I want to encourage my colleagues in the House and Senate to salute my predecessor by supporting this measure so that we may honor this good man for his lifelong service and dedication to the people of American Samoa and to veterans everywhere.

This legislation satisfies all of the committee's naming criteria and is supported by the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post Number 3391.

Once again, I urge all of my colleagues to join me in supporting this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve the balance of my time until all Members have had an opportunity to speak on each side.

Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I have no other speakers at this time. Once again, I urge all of my colleagues to join me in supporting this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 1362, a bill that honors the late former Delegate from American Samoa, Eni Faleomavaega, by naming the veterans community-based outpatient clinic in Pago Pago, American Samoa, the Faleomavaega Eni Fa'aua'a Hunkin VA Clinic.

A Vietnam veteran himself, Eni worked tirelessly to secure this clinic for veterans in American Samoa. His efforts to ensure all veterans in his district enrolled in VA health care, to secure rent- free space for the clinic through an agreement with the United States Army Reserve, and his testimony to the VA's CARES Commission resulted in a recommendation that a clinic be established and eventually led to the approval of the clinic by the Veterans Administration.

Eni was relentless in his pursuit of this goal so his fellow veterans in American Samoa would no longer have to travel more than 2,000 miles to Honolulu to seek care at a VA facility. It is fitting that it now be named after him.

Eni was someone I looked to as a leader. He was the dean of the Territories Caucus when I first came to Congress in 2009. He had served here for some 20 years by that point; but his experience was even more longstanding, having worked on the staff of Representative Philip Burton, a champion of the territories and all of the people in America who are often overlooked and forgotten.

There were two things in particular I saw in Eni. First, he had absolutely no hesitation in representing the people of American Samoa and providing glimpses of the culture with the rest of us. He relished the opportunity to wear his lavalava, one of the traditional pieces of clothing. He took pride in his traditional tattooing. He never hesitated to

sing the songs of his people 8,000 miles away.

Though a Delegate in this House, Eni Faleomavaega never presented himself as anything less than a Member of Congress. In doing so, he never diminished the standing of his constituents and their right, like all Americans, to have their voice heard here in the people's House.

The second lesson I learned from our departed friend was that the responsibilities of a Member of Congress go beyond the parochial concerns of our district. Of course, we are here to be sure that the people and place we represent are treated fairly and that our special circumstances are taken well into account in the formulation of Federal law and policy; but beyond that local responsibility, we all have a larger responsibility to act and speak on behalf of our Nation as a whole.

Eni certainly demonstrated that larger role we must all accept by his advocacy for Native Americans and by taking leadership in the foreign affairs of our Nation, especially in Asia and the island nations of the South Pacific. A good Member of Congress takes care of their own people, just as Eni did. A great Member of Congress understands that their people can only thrive when the Nation as a whole is a place of justice and peace.

Those are the lessons I learned from knowing Eni Faleomavaega, and for what he taught me, I will forever be grateful.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may consume.

I rise today in strong support of H.R. 1362. This tribute to our fellow colleague, a fellow veteran, our friend Eni, who passed last month, is truly well deserved.

I would also like to thank the gentlewoman from American Samoa for bringing this bill to the floor. And just as importantly, in her time here, she has proven to be the staunchest advocate of this Nation's veterans, a true friend to veterans, and a colleague who carries on Eni's commitment to this unwaveringly.

Eni devoted his public life to service, it was clear, ensuring that the unique needs and interests of the people of American Samoa were met in every bill that came through this body. For any of us who worked alongside him during those 13 terms, his unfailing commitment to his people and his ever-present smile will never be forgotten.

In addition to his work here and the things you heard the gentlewoman say, Eni served in the United States Army from 1966 to 1969 and as an officer in the United States Army Reserve from 1982 to 1989. He served honorably in the Vietnam war and left the military with the rank of captain.

He and his wife were also active members of their church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

As a Vietnam veteran and Army Reserve captain, congressional aide, lieutenant governor, and Member of Congress, there simply could be no better example of what it means to be a representative of his people and a citizen of this great Nation.

I fully support the naming of this outpatient clinic at Pago Pago in his honor and urge my colleagues to do the same.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from the Northern Mariana Islands (Mr. Sablan), another true champion of our veterans and a member of the Veterans' Affairs Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join us in passing this important piece of legislation. When those veterans in American Samoa see Eni's name, it will strike them about what he has done and the work that he did here in Congress.

I would also like to give a heartfelt thanks again to the gentlewoman for bringing this bill forward and for honoring her friend the way she has.

I encourage Members to support this bill.

Mr. Speaker, with that, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. President, today I wish to honor the life and dedicated service to our country of my friend and colleague, Eni F. H. Faleomavaega of American Samoa. I had the honor of serving with him in the U.S. House and was deeply saddened to hear of his passing on Wednesday, February 22, 2017.

Eni served 13 terms as the Delegate from American Samoa, and we worked together because of his close ties to Hawaii. Eni's strong ties and service to Hawaii makes him a ``keiki o ka aina.'' He was a graduate of Kahuku High School and the Church College, the forerunner to Brigham Young University in Laie, HI. Eni was a passionate advocate for indigenous peoples including native Hawaiians. Whether it was Federal recognition or health and housing programs for native Hawaiians, Hawaii could always count on Eni's outspoken support and assistance. One of the stories Eni enjoyed sharing was about his experience sailing on the voyaging canoe Hokulea in 1987, and in August 2014, he welcomed the arrival of the Hokulea and Hikianalia arrival in American Samoa and offered his best wishes to Malama Honua Worldwide Voyage.

I always appreciated his warm presence at the annual Kamehameha Day Lei Draping Ceremony at the capitol where he would often perform traditional Samoan chant and dance. Of course, he also served his American Samoa constituents in Congress with distinction for two decades. During his service in the House, he rose to become the first Asian-Pacific American to serve as chairman of the House Foreign Affairs' Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific. He brought his unique perspective as a Pacific Islander to this post and constructively worked to raise the concerns of the region in Congress.

Eni was also a veteran of the Vietnam war and a selfless advocate for his fellow veterans in American Samoa and across the Nation. Thanks to Eni's efforts, American Samoa veterans can now receive their healthcare from a Department of Veterans Affairs clinic built in Pago Pago with funds he helped secure. It is therefore most appropriate that the House and Senate

recently passed H.R. 1362, a bill to name this clinic after him.

I join my colleagues in extending my deepest sympathies to his wife, Hinanui Hunkin, their 10 children, and their 15 grandchildren. Eni will be dearly missed by his extended ohana in Hawaii and all whose lives were touched by his leadership and service.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 1362 a bill to name the Department of Veterans Affairs community-based outpatient clinic in Pago Pago, American Samoa the Faleomavaega Eni Fa'aua'a Hunkin VA Clinic. This is a fitting way to honor the life and service of my good friend and colleague former Congressman Eni Faleomavaega of American Samoa. During his 26 years of service in the House of Representatives, Congressman Faleomavaega displayed unwavering commitment to addressing a wide range of issues affecting veterans in the Pacific. His focus on access to health care and veteran services in remote areas of the Pacific ensured that veterans had access to the critical resources and services they needed and deserved after serving their country. His efforts directly contributed to increasing the quality of life of veterans throughout the Pacific region. Naming the VA facility in Pago Pago in his honor is a tribute to his service and commitment to the veterans in the Pacific region.

Congressman Faleomavaega's compassion for veterans can be attributed to his own service as an Army officer during the Vietnam conflict. Serving in this capacity gave him firsthand knowledge of the sacrifices servicemen make to protect our way of life.

I deeply miss Eni's advice, friendship and compassion for veterans. His passing has created a void for all that have known him. On behalf of the people of Guam, I extend my condolences to his family and the people of American Samoa. Our lives are richer for knowing Eni. I also extend my appreciation to Congresswoman Radewagen in putting forward this legislation. It is a very appropriate way to memorialize an important part of Eni's work on behalf of the people of American Samoa.

Un dangkulo na si Yu'os ma'ase (with deepest gratitude), Eni. You are deeply missed.