U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS — Government House has officially submitted to the White House public comments and firsthand accounts from Virgin Islands residents and businesses detailing the impact of changes to the de minimis exemption, bringing its recent outreach effort to a close and advancing the Bryan-Roach Administration’s push for relief.
Governor Albert Bryan Jr. thanked the community for responding to the Administration’s call for input. About a dozen residents, business owners, and stakeholders submitted written comments describing higher costs, shipping delays, added paperwork, and the growing frustration they have faced when mailing packages from the Virgin Islands through the U.S. Postal Service.
The outreach effort was launched to ensure federal officials heard directly from the people carrying the burden of this policy. By gathering real accounts from residents and businesses, Government House was able to show the White House that a policy aimed at foreign shipments is instead creating hardship for Americans using domestic mail service in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Briefing materials prepared by the Administration show that the policy change effectively lowered the duty-free threshold for affected shipments from $800 to $0 and turned what was once a routine USPS transaction into a more burdensome process that now requires online declarations, prepayment, and additional review before a package can be accepted for mailing.
The information submitted also makes clear that the impact extends far beyond commerce. Residents reported higher mailing costs, longer wait times, and procedural hurdles that fall especially hard on seniors, families, and small businesses. In some cases, added charges ranged from about $80 to $200 per shipment. The Administration also documented accounts of older residents struggling to navigate app-based requirements, families facing new costs to send gifts and personal items, and small business owners describing the growing difficulty of shipping products to customers on the mainland.
At the center of the Territory’s case is a basic question of fairness. The U.S. Virgin Islands is part of the United States, and mail sent through USPS between the Territory and the mainland should not be treated as foreign for purposes of this rule.
Governor Bryan has consistently maintained that applying this policy to domestic territorial mail misses the purpose of the underlying federal action and results in unequal treatment for Virgin Islanders. The Administration’s presentation also notes that residents of Puerto Rico do not face the same burden, further underscoring the disparity now confronting Virgin Islands consumers and shippers.
Governor Albert Bryan Jr. said the community’s response helped turn a complicated federal issue into a clear and compelling case for action.
“When we asked the community to speak up, Virgin Islanders answered,” Governor Bryan said. “Their stories made clear that this is not some distant policy debate. This is a real burden falling on working families, seniors, and small businesses right here at home. I am grateful to every person who took the time to share their experience. Because they did, the White House now has a clearer understanding of why this policy, as applied to the Virgin Islands, is unfair and why it must be corrected.”
The request remains straightforward. USPS shipments between the U.S. Virgin Islands and the mainland United States should be treated as domestic for de minimis purposes while appropriate safeguards remain in place for true international shipments. Government House has emphasized that such a fix would lift an unintended burden from Virgin Islands residents and businesses without undermining the federal government’s broader trade enforcement and security goals.
The Bryan-Roach Administration said it will continue pressing for a practical and equitable resolution that reflects the Virgin Islands’ status as an American jurisdiction and protects residents from unnecessary costs and barriers.
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