The announcement that Samoa will have a resident United States ambassador who will be based in Apia came at last year's celebration of the United States Independence Day. 

US Ambassador Tom Udall has served as the ambassador for New Zealand and Samoa since his appointment in 2021 and resides in Auckland. 

In a speech at this year’s ceremony, Mr. Udall said the upcoming resident ambassador was still in the process of being chosen.

In the U.S., ambassadors are nominated by the acting president to serve as diplomatic representatives to foreign nations. The next ambassador could be chosen after the upcoming the U.S elections in November which could dictate the future of foreign relations between the two countries. 

As the US celebrated over 248 years of independence, Mr. Udall recognised over 53 years of diplomatic relations between the US and Samoa since its independence in 1962. 

“The United States and Samoa have enjoyed a strong friendship and close partnership throughout our histories,” Mr. Udall said. 

There are several programmess introduced by the US in Samoa such as the Soifua Manuia Mission to improve healthcare accessibility and community wellness across Samoa. Currently, five hospitals across Upolu and Savaii are providing residents with healthcare services from 1 July  to 11 July. 

According to Udall, there will be an additional 16 US Peace Corps volunteers arriving on Monday to help increase literacy rates among schools across Samoa. The US Peace Corps volunteers officially relaunched in February 2023 after their departure in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

“The Peace Corps is loved at the schools,” Mr. Udall said. “I met with about 25 principals when I was here and they all came up and thanked me for the Peace Corps volunteers.” 

The US Independence Day was celebrated on 5 July in Samoa to be on the same time zone as the US.