My Priorities for
the Virgin Islands

VI Senior Saver Program

Too many of our seniors, especially those with disabilities, qualify for help with prescriptions, insurance, transportation, and care, but never receive it because the process is confusing and broken.

The VI Senior Saver Program cuts through that maze by automatically connecting eligible seniors to Medicaid and federal premium assistance programs, saving up to $2,200 annually for those who qualify. The program also addresses non-emergency medical transportation for dialysis, therapy, and routine appointments by coordinating federal benefits, territorial services, and public-private partnerships.

We’ll establish Senior Help Desks on each island, both walk-in and WhatsApp accessible, working with AARP, clinics, pharmacies, churches, and veterans’ organizations.

Feed Mill Project

High food prices hurt families, seniors, and young people trying to establish themselves. One major reason costs are so high is that we import feed before we grow food. By establishing a Virgin Islands-based feed mill for our farmers in the USVI, we can cut feed costs for local farmers by 25 to 40 percent, stabilize local food production, and reduce price shocks for everyone.

My Congressional office will aggressively pursue federal grants and program funding for agriculture in partnership with the Governor, because when food costs stabilize, quality of life improves for everyone.

Hospital Reimbursement Reform

Hospitals in the U.S. Virgin Islands are reimbursed under federal healthcare programs using cost data that is decades out of date. This creates a structural disadvantage and limits their ability to deliver reliable, high-quality care.

As your Delegate, I will lead a focused legislative effort to modernize how USVI hospitals are treated under federal programs. My priorities include:

• Securing state-equivalent treatment within Medicare and Medicaid
• Expanding federal waiver authority so that the Virgin Islands has the same flexibility as states
• Modernizing the Social Security Act to permanently guarantee fair, formula-based Medicaid funding for U.S. Territories
• Updating Medicare payment policy so hospitals are reimbursed through systems that reflect real costs and patient volume

Medicaid Funding Cap

The Virgin Islands is subject to a discriminatory Medicaid funding cap that does not apply to U.S. states or Washington, D.C. Lifting this cap would allow the USVI to fully access the 85% Federal Medical Assistance Percentage increase secured in the 2023 Consolidated Appropriations Act. In Congress, I’ll fight to lift it.

Telehealth Expansion

Too many seniors and disabled residents struggle to access care due to mobility barriers. I’ll work to expand telehealth access through federal health programs, while ensuring strong cybersecurity and data privacy protections for patients and their electronic health records.

Caregivers & Veterans

When caregivers can’t afford to live in the Virgin Islands, seniors feel it first. Caregiver tax credits and expanded Medicaid and Veterans Affairs programs that compensate caregivers can help address the stress and burnout that so many experience.

The Secure Care Homeownership Credit will create a $15,000 homeownership pathway for nurses, technicians, caregivers, and veterans who serve locally, helping them stay, serve, and build stable lives. When caregivers and veterans can stay, seniors receive better, more consistent care.

H-2B Visa Reform

The Virgin Islands is still recovering from Hurricanes Irma and Maria, but we’re doing it with our hands tied. Federal law currently restricts our territory from fully using the H-2B visa program, which allows employers to bring in temporary workers for construction, healthcare, and agriculture when local workers aren’t available. Every other state can use this program. We can’t, and it’s not fair.

And it doesn’t mean replacing Virgin Islanders; it means filling urgent gaps now while we invest in training and promoting our own people into better-paying, higher-skilled roles

Moving Virgin Islanders to the Middle Class

Economic development must do more than attract capital; it must create pathways to stable jobs, homeownership, and long-term security for Virgin Islanders. Nearly one in five Virgin Islanders lives below the poverty line. This is not due to lack of talent or work ethic, but to federal policies that block growth and restrict investment.

Two federal issues are central to reversing this trend:

• EU Blacklist Removal: The European Union placed the USVI on a financial blacklist as if it were a foreign country. This discourages investment and limits access to financial services. Removal will restore confidence and remove unnecessary barriers for Virgin Islanders doing business internationally.
  
• GILTI Reform: A tax rule designed to stop Americans from hiding profits offshore is misfiring and treating Virgin Islands-based businesses as foreign entities. This undermines our Economic Development Authority program and discourages companies from locating or expanding here. Fixing it means more companies hiring, training, and promoting Virgin Islanders into skilled, higher-wage positions.

Community Accessibility & Infrastructure

We must invest in island-wide accessibility, including ADA-compliant sidewalks, crossings, and beach access, so families, seniors, youth, and people with disabilities can safely move, shop, and participate in community life everywhere, not just in select areas. When communities are accessible, they’re more inclusive, and thus again, improve the quality of life. As Delegate, I will work to secure and protect federal funding for accessibility improvements, ensuring the Virgin Islands fully utilizes available formula funds and grant opportunities for ADA-compliant infrastructure.

Fighting the Tariff Tax on Virgin Islanders

Here’s something that might surprise you: when you order something online and ship it to the Virgin Islands, you can now be charged a customs duty, as if you’re importing goods from a foreign country. But we’re not a foreign country. We’re Americans.

A 2025 executive order suspending duty-free treatment on small packages inadvertently swept in the U.S. Virgin Islands and other territories, even though the order was designed to target foreign trade abuses. The result? Backed-up packages, delayed medications, higher prices on everyday goods, and Virgin Islanders being treated like foreigners in their own country.

The Governors of the USVI, Guam, American Samoa, and the Northern Marianas have already jointly called on President Donald Trump to exempt the territories from this order. If Virgin Islanders and the other territories don’t see relief in 2026, I will take that fight to the floor of Congress in 2027 and won’t stop until Virgin Islanders are treated the same as every other American. This isn’t a partisan issue. It’s a fairness issue. We serve. We sacrifice. We are Americans, and we deserve to be treated like it.

Investing in the University of the Virgin Islands

The University of the Virgin Islands is the only HBCU outside of the continental United States, and it deserves a champion in Congress who will fight for every dollar it’s entitled to.

UVI has received Title III federal funding since 1968. Title III money supports faculty development, STEM programs, campus facilities, and student services. But UVI has consistently been under-resourced compared to its mainland counterparts. As your Delegate, I will work to change that.

How I Will Fight for UVI

• Maximize Title III Dollars: Title III formula funding is tied to enrollment and graduation data. I’ll work directly with UVI and the U.S. Department of Education to ensure every data point is optimized so UVI receives its full share of the $220+ million distributed to HBCUs annually.

• Pursue Competitive Grants: Beyond formula funding, I’ll engage the private sector to help UVI compete for multi-year Title III awards targeting STEM, healthcare, and workforce development. These are programs that directly align with what our territory needs most.

• Layer in Capital Financing: Title III improvements make UVI eligible for the HBCU Capital Financing Program, which provides low-interest loans for facility upgrades. I’ll push to stack these with federal earmarks and FEMA hazard mitigation dollars to harden the campus against future hurricanes.