U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS—Governor Albert Bryan Jr issued the following statement in response to U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson’s announced intent to delay billions in disaster mitigation aid to Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands:
“The statement by Secretary Ben Carson announcing HUD’s intent to delay the Federal Register Notice for disaster mitigation funds to the territory is deeply disappointing.
“While I understand the concern for heightened scrutiny given the recent developments in Puerto Rico, there have been no improprieties in the Virgin Islands’ disaster recovery process and no discernible reason to couple the U.S. Virgin Islands with Puerto Rico in this matter. We are not Puerto Rico.
“Our administration has implemented measures to build capacity and ensure coordination and compliance with federal disaster grant funding through our Office of Disaster Recovery, which is monitored and funded through the U.S. Department of Interior.
“We have been successful in drawing down the $242 million in tranche one and received approval of our action plan for the drawdown of the $779 million in tranche two. In fact, we are awaiting HUD’s preparation of the grant agreement to access those funds.
“We question the decision to not include the territories in the Federal Register Notice with the other storm-affected areas in the continental United States, and our administration plans to push back against this decision aggressively. I have been lobbying the White House and Secretary Carson to get a better understanding of the implications. Almost two years have passed since the storms, and we can’t afford to delay any further.”
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