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Top U.S. Senate leaders and other key legislators committed their full support to help the U.S. Virgin Islands with recovery efforts following Hurricanes Irma and Maria, Sen. Janette Millin Young said Thursday.

Mrs. Millin Young was the sole representative from the U.S. Virgin Islands to meet with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-NY), and others in Washington, D.C. Representatives from the National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislatures (NHCSL) and several White House officials were involved in the talks that initially focused on recovery efforts for Puerto Rico.

“I was able to have the full attention of Senators McConnell and Schumer as well as the other officials in explaining that although Puerto Rico and its 3.2 million residents are in serious trouble, the U.S. Virgin Islands with its 110,000 residents must be included in the recovery efforts,” Mrs. Millin Young said.

There was no equivocation, she said.

“Every member of Congress, on both sides of the aisle, said ‘you’ve got us,’” she said.
“While we don’t have the number of people in distress that Puerto Rico has, I was able to explain the critical problems our people on St. John, St. Thomas, St. Croix and the smaller islands have been dealing with on a daily basis for the past month.”

President Donald Trump has promised help, but members of Congress make the decisions on funding, and how much and where it goes, Mrs. Millin Young said.

“I am pleased that they are so sympathetic to the plight of the U.S. Virgin Islands as well as to Puerto Rico,” she said.

Mrs. Millin Young, who was on St. Thomas during both hurricanes and whose home suffered significant damage, said she managed to get a ride on a private plane to San Juan last weekend to meet with Puerto Rico’s members of the NHCSL. Kenneth Romero, the group’s executive director, invited Mrs. Millin Young to participate in the Washington, D.C. meeting, which was organized to address the immediate need of federal money to cover payroll, contracts, hurricane recovery and community disaster assistance.

The senator said she was moved by the expression of friendship and solidarity from the people in Puerto Rico and was impressed by the stance of San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz that drew national attention to the delays in Puerto Rico receiving help following the storms. The mayor gave Mrs. Millin Young a tour of the Emergency Operations Center in San Juan. During the tour the mayor and Mrs. Millin Young were interviewed by the CBS-TV newsmagazine “60 Minutes.”

“Hurricanes Irma and Maria emphasized the common struggles both territories experience after a natural disaster. And I’m very pleased with the bi-partisan support in Washington that understands the needs of both of the U.S. territories in the Caribbean,” she said.

In addition to Sens. McConnell and Schumer, and Kenneth Romero, others participating in the Washington, D.C. meeting include: John Barsa, Assistant Secretary. Department of Homelands Security; Sen. Carmelo Rios, Senate Majority Leader (PR); Sen. Eduardo Bhatia, Senate President (PR); State Rep. Angel Cruz, (D-PA); Guillermo Mena, Policy Leader, NHCSL; and Federico DeJesus, Public Affairs Lead, NHCSL.

Feature Image: Millin Young with Congressional leaders, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, in Washington. (Credit: Office of Sen. Janette Millin Young)

Ernice Gilbert
I wear many hats, I suppose, but the one which fits me best would be journalism, second to that would be radio personality, thirdly singer/songwriter and down the line. I've been the Editor-In-Chief at my videogames website, Gamesthirst, for over 5 years, writing over 7,000 articles and more than 2 million words. I'm also very passionate about where I live, the United States Virgin Islands, and I'm intent on making it a better place by being resourceful and keeping our leaders honest. VI Consortium was birthed out of said desire, hopefully my efforts bear fruit. Reach me at [email protected].