Point 2: Building a Resilient Territory Through Infrastructure, Labor, and Health
A resilient U.S. Virgin Islands demands a coordinated strategy where healthcare, public works, and economic opportunity reinforce one another. For decades, structural vulnerabilities and bureaucratic delays have undermined the territory’s standard of living. To secure our future, we must construct world-class medical facilities, harden critical infrastructure against climate threats, and ensure local workers and enterprises directly benefit from federal investments.
Modernizing Healthcare and Cultivating Medical Tourism
Decades of underinvestment have forced Virgin Islanders to seek essential care off-island, imposing severe financial and emotional burdens on local families. Our foremost priority is the complete reconstruction and modern equipping of both primary healthcare hubs: the Governor Juan F. Luis Hospital on St. Croix, a new community hospital on St. John, and the Schneider Regional Medical Center on St. Thomas. Restoring and building these centers to state-of-the-art standards ensures our residents receive dignified, comprehensive care at home.
Beyond domestic needs, modern facilities lay the groundwork for a robust medical tourism sector. By establishing tax incentives for specialized clinics and partnering with premier healthcare organizations, the USVI can become the Caribbean’s leading destination for advanced medical procedures. This strategy diversifies our tourism-reliant economy, expands local revenues, and attracts top-tier medical talent to serve our communities.
Durable Infrastructure and Proactive Capital Deployment
Resilience begins with engineering integrity. Temporary roadway repairs that deteriorate after routine storms waste public capital and put motorists at risk. We will implement long-term civil engineering solutions focused on integrated drainage systems and underground utility duct banks, including completion of the Queen Mary Highway project. Burying utilities shields vital power and communications networks from extreme weather, drastically reducing post-storm recovery times.
To finance this modernization, we must accelerate the deployment of billions in federal disaster mitigation funds. By placing dedicated, accountable project managers over FEMA-obligated initiatives, we will eliminate administrative bottlenecks and guarantee every dollar is spent effectively before statutory deadlines lapse.
Empowering Local Labor and Streamlining Enterprise
Federal investment must build local wealth. Through aggressive participation in federal set-aside initiatives, including the SBA 8(a) Business Development program, we will position local firms to secure prime contracts on major capital works. Keeping recovery funds circulating within our territory elevates skilled trades and builds enduring domestic capacity.
At the same time, we must remove regulatory barriers to commercial vitality. Transitioning the Department of Licensing and Consumer Affairs (DLCA) to a fully digitized, transparent platform will eliminate delays for standard business and professional licenses. A modern licensing system encourages compliance, invites new enterprise, and fosters a competitive, self-reliant economy that can sustain the Virgin Islands for generations.
