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Gov. Albert Bryan Jr. and Senate President Milton Potter both confirmed at Monday’s press briefing that they’re working to help ensure Virgin Islanders will not go hungry when Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits run out on Nov. 1. The ongoing federal shutdown is threatening to cut off that critical lifeline, and the territory’s leaders have committed to using the Rainy Day Fund to provide checks for half of the regular benefits until the shutdown ends. The funding will not cover the full amount that recipients are entitled to, and nonprofit food banks and private businesses have been stepping up to help, including St. Thomas Social restaurant, which is providing up to three free to-go meals daily to those who call ahead and order at 340-715-5930. Recipients must provide their SNAP cards upon pickup. Food banks on St. Croix include Light House Mission, 340-773-3551; My Brother’s Table 340-772-3663 or 340 778-0520; St. Croix Catholic Charities; and Lutheran Social Services 340-772-0589. Food banks on St. John and St. Thomas include St. John Catholic Charities of the V.I. 340-777-8518; St. Thomas Catholic Charities 340-777-8515; Meeting the Needs of our Community, Inc. 340-714-7782; and the Salvation Army at 340-776-0070. Bryan also said Monday the increased U.S. military presence in the Caribbean “is not totally unwelcomed,” as the Trump administration continues to carry out strikes on boats off the coast of Venezuela, killing at least 40 people so far. Other Caribbean leaders have been denouncing the strikes, including Dominica’s Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit and Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley. And Republican Senator Rand Paul said in an interview on Fox News Sunday that the strikes on suspected drug traffickers amount to “extrajudicial killings.” Bryan said that “earlier this year, CARICOM took some opposing views to the Trump administration in general and asked if I would participate, or my views, and I declined. I think it’s important that we support the efforts of the president.” Bryan continued, “we are sorely ignored in the Caribbean by the American presidency,” and said that “there are a lot of countries in the Caribbean who are supportive of the president’s efforts, including Trinidad where kidnapping, violence, and a lot of drugs have been really making an impact on their community, so actually they’re hosting people right now.” Trinidad Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar has voiced support for the increased military presence in the Caribbean, and the USS Gravely destroyer docked in Trinidad on Sunday. “Like I said a million and one times, we have constantly asked for support to stop the influx of drugs, guns, and gangs into our community through illegal means. So, like we can’t complain right now and nobody’s asked me anything lately. We still are sort of in a quasi-associate membership with CARICOM,” Bryan said. CARICOM member states include Antigua and Barbuda, the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Montserrat, St. Lucia, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago. Associate members are Anguilla, Bermuda, the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands, Curacao, and Turks and Caicos Islands. “It’s good, I think the United States is paying attention to us again in the Caribbean, which heightens the importance of the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico in terms of America’s presence in the Caribbean,” Bryan said. “You’ve seen the return of Navy ships, our sailors coming to our shores. We have some visits scheduled for St. Croix that are coming up, we’re looking forward to,” he added. “It’s good for the economy, it’s good for the morale of the sailors, some of which are our our Virgin Islands sailors that are on those boats. I haven’t been asked for comment but for right now, the presence is not totally unwelcomed here in the Caribbean.” During Monday’s briefing, Bryan acknowledged the devastating threat to Jamaica being posed by Hurricane Melissa, and “all our prayers should be with the people of Jamaica.” Office of Disaster Recovery Director Adrienne Williams-Octalien provided an update on the recovery from the 2017 hurricanes, and Dwayne Alexander, executive director of the V.I. Housing Authority, provided updates on efforts to increase the availability of affordable housing. Bryan also said he’s adding “at least $2 million” to the V.I. Slice Moderate Income Homeownership Program, which has helped 64 Virgin Islands families purchase their first homes. The program started in 2022 with $20 million in funding from the American Rescue Plan Act, and is administered by the Economic Development Authority. In response to questions from The Daily News, EDA CEO Wayne Biggs Jr. said that “VIEDA returned $10M to allow for funding of other important community related projects based on VI Slice funding use projections.” The Office of Management and Budget then “requested VIEDA return another $2M to fund other pressing community related projects which VIEDA complied with,” Biggs said. While Bryan claimed Monday that he is “expanding” the program after the initial funds were fully utilized, the $2 million in additional funding brings the total up to only $10 million — half as much as the program started with.
