Congressional Letter Urges More USVI Funding Oversight

This week, Rep. Roger Williams (R-Texas) sent a letter to the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) urging needed oversight of federal aid to the U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI). As Rep. Williams notes in the letter, USVI leadership has demonstrated a clear “inability to properly manage federal relief dollars” following hurricanes. USVI Governor Albert Bryan’s profligate spending habits are well-documented. While the islands face rolling power outages, government staff throw lavish parties and waste taxpayer dollars.

Particularly egregious is the fact that the USVI’s Water and Power Authority (WAPA) used a $75 million contract to buy four generators that did not work. Now, they are asking for $67 million more for WAPA’s generating plant in St. Croix. On top of this already mounting pile of mismanaged taxpayer funds is the fact that WAPA currently owes Vitol, USVI’s Texas-based fuel supplier roughly $150 million.

WAPA cannot pay its existing debts and has a storied history of misusing the funds it is given. The time for oversight is now – if not quite some time ago already. Rep. Williams should be applauded for his effort to draw attention to this waste and other members of Congress should get on board this effort to safeguard their constituents’ tax dollars as well.