Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to welcome Pastor Dexter Skepple, Senior Pastor of Speak the Word Ministries to the Well of the House, and to thank him for offering this morning's opening prayer.

For more than twenty-five years, Pastor Skepple has served as a faith leader in the United States Virgin Islands, guiding his congregation and our community with humility, integrity, and an unwavering commitment to servant leadership. He mentors our young men, counsels families through hardship, and quietly shows up for the people of the Virgin Islands every day.

It is a distinct honor for the people of the Virgin Islands to have one of their own faith leaders recognized here, on the Floor of the House.

I thank Pastor Skepple for his ministry, his leadership, his wisdom, and his decades of devotion to our community. May God bless him and his family always.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 8121, legislation I introduced to designate the Christiansted Bandstand in Christiansted, St. Croix, in the Virgin Islands of the United States as the Peter G. Thurland, Sr., Bandstand.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Westerman, Ranking Member Huffman, along with the members and staff of the House Committee on Natural Resources, for their consideration of this bill and for advancing it to the floor. I appreciate their thoughtful attention to a matter that means a great deal to the people of St. Croix, and I look forward to working with Members on both sides of the aisle to advance this legislation to the President's desk.

The Christiansted Bandstand is one of the most significant cultural landmarks in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Located in the heart of Christiansted, it has served for over a century as a gathering place for residents and visitors and as the center of St. Croix's musical and civic life.

H.R. 8121 would designate that landmark in honor of the man most responsible for its character and continuity, Peter G. Thurland, Sr.

Mr. Thurland was born on February 19, 1892, in Christiansted, St. Croix, then the Danish West Indies. On March 31, 1917, he performed with the Christiansted Industrial Brass Band at the formal transfer ceremony on the Christiansted Wharf, present at the very moment the Virgin Islands became part of the United States.

Following the transfer of the Danish West Indies to the United States, he enlisted in the United States Navy on June 12 of that same year and served as a member of the Navy Band.

During his service, he was instrumental in the physical construction and design of the Christiansted Bandstand. He performed there with the Christiansted Navy Band until his honorable discharge in September 1921.

In 1938, Mr. Thurland founded the St. Croix Community Band, which performed free monthly concerts for three consecutive decades. He trained generations of young musicians and led the band until 1968. He was also a master craftsman and cabinetmaker. His work can still be seen throughout our island.

Mr. Speaker, my own parents talked about the many activities the bandstand represented for children growing up in the town in the 1930s and 40s. One of our most iconic period painters, Leo Carty, used the bandstand in some of his most memorable paintings. My own children have played around the bandstand without a marker to explain who built the gathering spot. A naming with a marker sharing the creator and the history of the bandstand can only bring our island closer together.

This legislation was first introduced, as you have heard, from Congressman Ron de Lugo in the 103rd Congress. I am proud to bring it again in the 119th Congress. The Thurland family has long advocated for this recognition, and their persistence reflects the esteem in which their grandfather, their patriarch, is held across St. Croix.

Peter G. Thurland, Sr., helped construct the Christiansted Bandstand, served his country with distinction, and dedicated decades to the cultural life of St. Croix. His name belongs on that landmark.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 8121.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in celebration of Caribbean American Heritage Month, a month of

honoring the immeasurable contributions of Caribbean Americans to the fabric of this Nation, contributions that have shaped our politics, our culture, our arts, and our very understanding of what it means to fight for justice.

Every month I try to recognize many different individuals of Caribbean-American heritage who come from many walks of life, but this month I want to focus on the accomplishments of Caribbean-American women: their accomplishments and their struggles at the highest levels of government, and at the highest levels of politics that are shaping and have shaped this country.

I stand here as a proud daughter of the United States Virgin Islands, a territory whose people carry within it the full weight and beauty of Caribbean culture.

I am honored to serve alongside my sister, Congresswoman Yvette Clarke of Brooklyn, New York, the daughter of Jamaican immigrants, who spent her entire career championing the rights of working families, immigrants, and communities of color with a tenacity that reflects the very best of the Caribbean tradition.

I am honored to serve alongside Congresswoman Frederica Wilson of Florida, a proud Bahamian American, whose bold leadership and refusal to be silent in the face of injustice has made her a force in this Congress and a hero, a shero in her community.

Of course, we remember the late Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee of Texas, the daughter of Jamaican immigrants, who for three decades was one of the fiercest advocates this Congress has ever known.

These women do not simply represent Caribbean Americans, they embody the excellence that our communities demand of them.

The story we continue to write did not, of course, begin with us. It began on the islands themselves, with women like Queen Breffu, an Akwamu woman enslaved on St. John in the Danish West Indies, who in 1733 helped lead one of the earliest slave revolts in the Americas.

It continued with Queen Nanny of the Maroons in Jamaica, a leader of a community of formerly enslaved Africans who waged war against the British empire and won, seizing their own freedom and building their own societies. That spirit of self-determination is the spirit Caribbean Americans carry with them to this day and this country.

It continued with Shirley Chisholm, the daughter of immigrants from Barbados and Guyana, who in 1968 became the first Black woman elected to the United States Congress, and who in 1972 had the courage to run for President.

It continued with Claudia Jones, a journalist, activist, and visionary whose legacy endures; Cicely Tyson, who wasn't just an actor but a great civil rights leader, an advocate not confined to the roles that were assigned to her; and, of course, Kamala Harris, the daughter of a Jamaican father who shattered what many believed to be an unbreakable ceiling when she became the first woman and the first Black American to serve as Vice President of the United States. Vice President Harris carried the hopes of Caribbean Americans with her into the White House, a reminder that children of the Caribbean do not simply contribute to this Nation. We lead. She dared to lead a nominating party 107 days. Only a Caribbean woman could do that.

Caribbean leadership extends across the region. Dame Mary Eugenia Charles of Dominica became the first woman to serve as the head of government in the Caribbean. The Iron Lady, as she was known, bent to no outside pressure. Other influential women include Dame Pearlette Louisy of Saint Lucia, Dame Cynthia ``Mother'' Pratt from the Bahamas, of course Ruby Rouss of the United States Virgin Islands, and now Prime Minister Mia Mottley of Barbados, who stands today as one of the most consequential leaders in the world, reshaping global conversations.

When people say we are not ready for a Black woman President, a Black woman Governor or CEO, my brothers and sisters, we have been doing it all along. We just need the support for the titles that we already deserve.

I wish all of my brothers and sisters of Caribbean descent Happy Caribbean American Heritage Month.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month. In the Virgin Islands and across this Nation, too many suffer in silence, carrying the weight of depression, anxiety, trauma, and grief, without access to care.

I fought to bring real resources to my home, including $2.7 million in mental health and wellness funding for health recovery services, wellness programming, emergency shelter, and victim services for St. Thomas and St. John.

For St. Croix, I have secured another $2 million for community wellness expansion, youth violence intervention, and hurricane recovery for our boys' and girls' centers.

Mental illness is not a weakness, and mental health is not a luxury. Natural disasters, economic strain, and geographic isolation have compounded the mental health crisis in the Virgin Islands, which we cannot afford to ignore.

Mr. Speaker, access to quality mental health care must be treated as a right and not a privilege, and as an imperative to our entire community.

To anyone struggling, you are not alone. Asking for help is an act of courage.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize National Kidney Month and to speak plainly about it and what it means for my constituents in the Virgin Islands.

Chronic kidney disease affects more than one in seven American adults. When it progresses to end-stage renal disease, Black Americans bear four times the burden of other Americans.

The Virgin Islands already carries elevated rates of diabetes and hypertension, the primary drivers of kidney failure. Also, there is a genetic dimension that too few people know about: APOL1-mediated kidney disease. AMKD is caused by gene variants found almost exclusively in people of West African descent.

I was proud to introduce a resolution and host a roundtable, along with my fellow Georgetown alum, Alonzo Mourning, and the American Kidney Fund to raise awareness of AMKD.

I urge my colleagues to recognize that for thousands of Virgin Islanders and millions of Americans most vulnerable to these diseases, Medicaid and Medicare are lifelines. Any efforts to cut these programs is a direct attack on the most vulnerable among us.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of Virgin Islands history month, a time to honor the extraordinary story of a people whose courage, resilience, and sacrifice have shaped not only our beautiful islands but this great Nation itself.

One hundred and eight years ago, on March 31, 1917, the islands of St. Croix, St. Thomas, and St. John were transferred from Denmark to the United States in the costliest per-acre land purchase in American history. The 25 million in gold bullion paid for our islands was shipped to Copenhagen from the United States. No provisions were made for the people who lived there. No vote was taken by the Virgin Islanders themselves.

Many great nations and conquerors have tried to keep us voiceless and marginalized. Yet, good, strong, blessed people can never be kept down. We have always found a way, from our beginning until today.

Virgin Islanders have always been revolutionary. From the very first recorded history of our islands, the people of Ay-Ay, present-day St. Croix, met Columbus with the first armed resistance in the so-called New World.

In the 1700s the Akwamu people of St. John took and held their freedom for almost a year, forcing colonial powers to bring an armada to break their hold. In 1848, we became one of only two places in the Western Hemisphere to gain freedom through the direct and violent overthrow of enslavement.

Our islands gave this Nation Alexander Hamilton, who learned his genius for finance in the merchant house of St. Croix, from the African counting systems, Dutch ledgers, and others. We have given the United States Abraham Markoe, the designer of the 13 stripes in the American flag. Denmark Vesey gave up his freedom in pursuit of liberation in South Carolina. We have also given the United States Edward Wilmot Blyden, our son, the father of Pan-Africanism; Camille Pissarro, the founder of Impressionism; and William Leidesdorff, the early pioneer and founder of present-day San Francisco.

In the mid-1900s, Virgin Islanders came to Washington and petitioned to be included in the draft, asking to send our sons to defend a country that would not yet defend us. We have given America generals, diplomats, statesmen, scientists, artists, and athletes.

We have sacrificed in military service at three times the national average, fighting for a commander-in-chief we do not elect.

I am a limited voting Delegate. I serve on committees. I fight for my constituents. I show up every single day. However, when the final vote is called on legislation that will directly affect my people, the people of the Virgin Islands, I cannot cast that vote. We are full Americans in responsibility but partial Americans in right. That must change.

Our territory has faced enormous challenges. Hurricanes Irma and Maria devastated our infrastructure, tested the will of our people. We still rebuild.

We are fighting for SSI expansion so that elderly and disabled Virgin Islanders receive the same Federal safety net their fellow Americans on the mainland receive. We are fighting for inclusion of territories in Federal programs that every other American takes for granted. We are fighting, as we have always fought, for the full promise of an American Dream to extend to our shores.

We have tools now that our ancestors did not: Federal investments in our ports, our energy grid, our schools, community project funding, and a growing network of advocates. But tools are only as powerful as the hands that wield them.

As we observe Virgin Islands History Month, I want to speak directly to every Virgin Islander. We are the descendants of people who refuse to accept their circumstances as permanent. We are the heirs of a revolutionary tradition that predates this Republic, and we have the power to reimagine and rebuild a Virgin Islands that our ancestors would recognize as worthy of everything they endured.

That means engaging fully in our Democracy at every level. It means electing leaders who will fight for territorial equity. It means our young people pursuing education and eventually

returning home to lead. It means our businesses innovating, our farmers growing, artists creating, community organizations building, and it means a local government managing systems that work for all and not just benefit a few. It means demanding loudly, persistently with history behind us and without cowering for fear that this Nation treat the people of the territories as full and equal American citizens we are.

Mr. Speaker, let us celebrate in our actions Virgin Islands History Month.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the ranking member for yielding time, and I rise in strong support of H.R. 6472, the Territorial Student Access to Higher Education Act.

Mr. Speaker, since my first term in Congress, expanding access to higher education for students from the United States territories has been a priority. Today, I am proud that the House is considering meaningful, bipartisan legislation to address this issue.

I want to point out that the United States small territories face unique geographic and economic challenges. Small populations, remote locations, and constrained local economies make it difficult for residents to pursue specialized training or many degrees close to home.

Students from small territories who seek degrees or majors not available locally must attend college on the mainland. That is the reason why Puerto Rico is not included in this legislation. Puerto Rico has multiple universities on that island. In the smaller territories, however, we do not.

For example, in the Virgin Islands, we do not offer degree programs for engineering, economics, international relations, French, or history to name a few. For many of our students, costs, not ability, is what prevents them from earning a degree. The lack of access to higher education limits workforce development, economic growth, and long-term stability in the territories as discussed by the chairman.

Our brain drain is exponentially greater due to our isolated location. This legislation directly addresses this challenge. H.R. 6472 amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to require public colleges and universities receiving Federal funds to charge eligible small territory residents no more than in-State tuition rates. As you heard from Ranking Member Scott, there is no cost presently in this legislation to the Federal Government's budget.

By removing this barrier, we reduce families' financial burden, expand access to programs unavailable on the islands, and strengthen the workforce pipelines that territorial economies depend on to sustain their future.

I am deeply grateful to Congressman Moylan, former Congresswoman Radewagen, Congresswoman King-Hinds, as well as Congressman Hernandez for cosponsorship and partnership. I especially thank Chairman Tim Walberg as well as Ranking Member Bobby Scott of the House Committee on Education and Workforce for their bipartisan leadership in moving this legislation through the committee.

Mr. Speaker, the residents of the United States territories serve in this Nation's Armed Forces, pay Federal taxes, and are bound by its laws. They are American citizens in every sense of the word. Federal support for access to multiple degrees in higher education should extend to all of us. This bill does that without being a burden on the Federal Government's budget.

Mr. Speaker, I ask all Members to vote in favor of H.R. 6472.

Mr. Speaker, this week, a Federal judge paused the administration's plan to end temporary protective status for Haitians. While this ruling provides temporary relief, we must stay engaged.

Now is not the time to end these protections. Haiti faces the Western Hemisphere's worst humanitarian crisis. There have been 3,000 civilians killed by gangs, millions displaced, widespread hunger, and Hurricane Melissa's devastation.

Mr. Speaker, 350,000 Haitian TPS recipients applied, passed background checks, contribute $4.4 billion annually to our economy, and pay over $1 billion in Federal taxes. Now is not the time to abandon our brothers and sisters in Haiti. We must stand up for protections and, indeed, pathways to citizenship, which have long been enshrined in the laws of this Nation.

I call on this administration to extend temporary protections and urge my colleagues to join us in that fight.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Religious Tolerance Week and celebrate the beautiful tapestry of faith that defines the Virgin Islands of the United States.

In our homes, Christians, Hindus, Jews, Muslims, Rastafarians, and practitioners of ancestral African tradition don't just coexist. We celebrate one another. The support of Ramadan, Yom Kippur, and Good Friday are solemn occasions shared by all. We celebrate brothers and sisters as they enjoy Diwali and hold sacred spaces where African traditionalist religion is practiced. Our festivals blend the sacred traditions of multiple faiths.

This is not tolerance. It is love and an embodiment of what America promises: that our differences make us stronger, our faiths can flourish side by side, and unity does not require unanimity.

As we face growing division in our Nation, let the Virgin Islands be a model. We prove every day that respecting each other's belief enriches us all. I ask for strength in that for all of us.

Madam Speaker, I thank my colleagues for their work on this bill.

Madam Speaker, at this time, I really don't have much to say except that I am fully in support of this legislation. I am so thankful to my colleagues on the Ways and Means Committee for working through this and, of course, the tremendous work of the staff.

We know that, since enactment in 2000 of AGOA, it has been a key element in providing support in sub-Saharan Africa for duty-free access to U.S. markets for almost 6,000 products, which includes over 5,000 products under the Generalized System of Preferences, as well as 1,800 specific AGOA products.

We know that Africa has the youngest and fastest-growing youth population, 60 percent under 25. Madam Speaker, 5 million young people will enter the workforce from Africa in 2035.

We cannot concede, as a nation, this tremendous market that is available not only for American economic growth and innovation but African, as well. Russia and China have engaged in an extraction of resources on the continent through their Belt and Road Initiative, through the use of Wagner, as well as China extracting so many minerals from this continent.

American innovation, economic support, and products are the products that Africa wants to utilize. Unless we have AGOA, they cannot do so.

I thank the gentlewoman for allowing me to speak on this tremendous opportunity.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I rise today in support of H.R. 6504, the Haiti Economic Lift Program Extension Act.

For over 15 years, Haiti HOPE/HELP programs have supported both U.S. and Haitian textile industries by granting Haiti duty-free access for apparel and textile products.

Building strong business ties between two neighboring nations, this bill, the Haiti Economic Lift Program Extension Act, reauthorizes the HOPE/HELP trade preference program for an additional 3 years, through December 2028.

The bill also restores eligibility for certain textiles that were initially eligible for duty-free treatment but became ineligible due to changes in the Harmonized Tariff Schedule.

I thank Ranking Member Neal, Chairman Smith, and Dr. Murphy, and I especially thank my longtime friend and fellow Georgetown University alumnus, Haiti's Ambassador to the United States, Lionel Delatour, for their leadership in keeping the light of Haiti HOPE/HELP alive here in the House of Representatives.

Many American manufacturers, as well as Haitian civil society, have pushed for the extension of trade relations with Haiti.

Of course, we thank the committee's Trade staff, led by Alexandra Whittaker, Mr. Rueda, Mr. O'Donovan, as well as former U.S. Trade Representative Ambassador Katherine Tai, who have supported our work to reauthorize the program for many years.

We all know that Haiti faces overlapping humanitarian, political, and economic crises and needs both economic and political stability. The circumstances require immediate action. More than 60 percent of the people of Haiti are living below poverty lines, and over 25 percent of the population live in extreme poverty. The 37 percent youth unemployment rate, combined with declining female literacy and lower school enrollment rates, as well as the crime and gang violence we all know about, makes finding skilled work very difficult.

I include in the Record links to two articles. One is ``Locked in Transition: Politics and Violence in Haiti,'' by the International Crisis Group. The link can be found here: https://www.crisisgroup.org/ latin-america-caribbean/caribbean/haiti/107-locked-transition- politics-and-violence-haiti

The second is the ``World Report 2025: Rights Trends in Haiti.'' The link can be found here: https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2025/country- chapters/ haiti

Madam Speaker, the security crisis and political instability have been compounded by a dire humanitarian situation.

According to the World Bank, over 64 percent of Haiti's population of 11.7 million lived on less than $3.65 per day in 2024. The World Food Programme has identified Haiti as having one of the highest proportions of acute food insecure people in any crisis worldwide. In a report covering August 2024 to February 2025, about 5.5 million people require humanitarian assistance, and 4.5 million are facing acute food insecurity.

The apparel sector has incredible importance to Haiti's economy and is the foundation for the country's economic development. When we talk about the economic development of Haiti, let's not forget its history and the circumstances that have led to the crisis and compounded the situation that they are in.

Many of us here in this Chamber may be aware of Haiti's history, but I remind my colleagues of a critical fact: In 1825, for their freedom, France demanded that Haiti pay. The initial debt was 150 million in gold, later reduced to 90 million in gold, which equals approximately $560 million in today's currency. It took Haiti 122 years to pay off this ransom. Imagine the United States had been forced to compensate Britain for our independence.

It is estimated that between $21 billion and $115 billion in economic losses have occurred because Haiti had to pay this fee, a fee for freedom. That has instead, of course, led to Haiti's economic dire straits that we see today.

It is our support of Haiti, as well as the economic benefits to the United States that we receive through its apparel, which will help lift them. Given the cascading job losses and extreme security crisis, Haiti cannot afford to wait any longer for reauthorization of this vital program.

Haiti is our strategic ally. It is one of the few countries in the hemisphere that still recognizes Taiwan. U.S. support for Haiti's apparel sector is mutually beneficial. Haitian apparel utilizes a great deal of American-grown cotton, and when it is in place, it plays an essential role in shifting supply chains out of China and into the Western Hemisphere.

I thank my colleagues for supporting Haiti and its people, and I thank them for supporting the Caribbean hemisphere.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Alabama (Ms. Sewell).

Madam Speaker, I yield an additional 30 seconds to the gentlewoman from Alabama.

Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Wisconsin (Ms. Moore).

Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 30 seconds to the gentlewoman.

Mr. Speaker, may I inquire as to how much time I have remaining.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Meeks), from Queens, who is the ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time to close.

Mr. Speaker, we have had some tremendously wonderful discussions during this debate period over this legislation.

Without reauthorization, companies will increasingly shift their production away from Haiti unless it is clear that HOPE/HELP will continue. We can't have that. I am so grateful that we have bipartisan support of Members who are interested in that. From all over our country--North Carolina, New York, Wisconsin--Members routinely understand our relationship with Haiti, one of our near neighbors.

There was discussion about Charlie Rangel, who was the former chair of Ways and Means, and was indeed in some ways the author of this legislation conceiving of it, representing Harlem, the Lion of Lenox Avenue.

He was also a veteran of the Korean war, and he would remind us that Haitian soldiers--we are in our anniversary now in this year of 2025 of our independence, our Declaration of Independence--fought with us under the Siege of Savannah in 1779, willing to fight for our freedom, willing to support us in our battle to become the great Nation that we became. It is now our imperative to help them, as well.

It is my hope that this short-term, 3-year extension will preserve production and jobs in Haiti while providing a runway for Congress to further strengthen this program.

As you can see, in 2024, more than $92 billion in exports were done to the Caribbean and $500 million in Latin America. Indeed, this is a region that the United States must be engaged in. It is mutually beneficial for us to have economic ties not only in Latin America but with our Caribbean neighbors, for them to be strengthened both politically and fiscally.

I thank my colleagues, again, for supporting Haiti and its people. I thank them for supporting the hemisphere. I particularly want to thank Chairman Smith for moving this legislation through regular order, committee markup, and now here on the House floor. I thank him for working with Ranking Member Neal as well as not just the Ways and Means members but members from other committees who also have jurisdiction over this matter.

Mr. Speaker, I thank everyone and urge support of this legislation, urge its passage as we move it through the Senate, and into reenactment. I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I rise to share the unbreakable ties between the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, demonstrated this week through the Annual Crucian-Rican Tramp and Big Breakfast, a powerful reminder that Virgin Islands culture is inseparable from our Latin Caribbean heritage.

Puerto Rican immigrants began coming to the Virgin Islands by the thousands in the late 1800s, cutting cane alongside Crucians, whose ancestors endured the same cane fields. Families planted roots, building communities throughout the island and on St. Thomas. They established social clubs and created businesses.

Spanish became our second language. Our children grew bilingual. Our families intertwined. Our kitchens became sacred ground, where callaloo met asopao, fungi sat beside mofongo, and johnnycakes shared the table with bacalaitos.

Yet, before the migration to St. Croix were the boats of enslaved Crucians, who were fleeing slavery by making the dangerous trip to Vieques and Culebra. This isn't fusion. It is family, Caribbean people who refused to let colonial borders divide us, who

recognized in each other the same bloodlines and the same determination to thrive.

The Crucian-Rican Tramp celebrates this truth: We are stronger together.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in defense of affordable healthcare for all Americans, even though my own constituents are not afforded the same benefits as Americans living in the 50 States. We are not part of the exchange. We have no SSI. We have caps on Medicaid in jurisdictions, unlike elsewhere.

If my colleagues need a clear illustration of what happens when Affordable Care Act benefits are taken away, look to the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, which are excluded from those. Our healthcare system is in crisis. Hospitals operate under Medicare formulas from the 1980s with chronic shortages of supplies, medication, equipment, and staff.

Patients bring sheets and diapers to the hospital. Doctors pool their money to pay vendors. Hospital funding gaps exceed $34 million. More than 3,000 people have lost Medicaid. Puerto Rico's capped Medicaid funding forced reliance on borrowing and debt, which contributed to their 2017 bankruptcy.

The failure to extend enhanced premium tax credits has doubled healthcare costs for 20 million Americans. My colleagues don't want the healthcare system we have. Pass this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, healthcare in the Virgin Islands is in crisis. The Medical Executive Committee wrote an open letter to the community and to CMS, detailing adverse conditions in our hospitals. These include shortages of supplies, medication, equipment, staff, and patient placement challenges.

This crisis reflects systemic failures that compromise the ability to deliver appropriate care. These conditions did not develop overnight. Our two hospitals still operate under Medicare reimbursement formulas from 1982 and 1996.

While I continue to fight for Medicare rebasing, fortunately we have secured permanent increases in Medicaid funding from 55 to 83 percent and over $1.7 billion in FEMA obligations to rebuild our hospitals.

Mr. Speaker, Congress and the administration must do more. Virgin Islanders deserve the same access, dignity, and quality of care as every American citizen. We will not stop fighting until our healthcare system receives the Federal support required to deliver standard of care.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express condolences on the passing of Elisa McKay. I want to share that the Virgin Islands has lost one of its great creative and cultural visionaries with the passing of Ms. McKay.

Her creative spirit and generous heart touched countless lives across the island of St. Croix and throughout our territory and, indeed, not just the Caribbean but other places.

As a self-taught artist, she channeled what she described as divine expression, creating work that reflected her deep love for our islands, our culture, and our people. Her art was an extension of her soul. It was vibrant, authentic, and deeply rooted in her Crucian roots.

Beyond her artistic talent, Elisa dedicated herself to uplifting our community in so many ways. She served as an educator, taught yoga for four decades, worked tirelessly with our seniors through the Interfaith Coalition, and gave her time and wisdom to numerous organizations, including Unity of St. Croix, the St. Croix Environmental Association, and the Women's Coalition of St. Croix.

Her compassion, spiritual leadership, and commitment to service made our Virgin Islands a better place. Ms. McKay lived with purpose and love, seeing the divine in everyone she encountered.

My heartfelt condolences go out to her daughter, Ayanna, who she considered her greatest accomplishment. To all who knew and loved her, may her memory be a blessing and may her artistic legacy continue to inspire us for generations to come.

Honoring Gerville Rene Larsen

Mr. Speaker, the Virgin Islands has lost one of its great creative and cultural visionaries with the passing of Gerville Rene Larson.

Everyone knows Gerville was more than an architect. He was a steward of our history and an artist of our identity. His work captured the spirit of these islands, ensuring that the stories of our people and the beauty of our heritage were preserved for generations to come.

After earning his degree in architecture from Cornell, Gerville returned home to his beloved St. Croix, choosing to live in his grandparents' home in the heart of Times Square, in downtown Christiansted. From there, he poured his heart into our community, using his immense talent to collaborate with both public and private sectors on projects dedicated to historic architectural preservation. Through his firm, Taller Larjas, LLC, he designed with reverence for our past and vision for our future.

I was blessed to know Gerville, not only as a respected colleague on boards and an admired fellow Hillsider descendent, but as my neighbor and my friend. Our best talks were as we were cleaning the respective streets we lived on, meeting up, hailing each other as neighbors, and then going into a deep discussion about the beauty of Christiansted and the history of the free

enslaved people who lived in the hills of Christiansted and what that heritage meant to each one of us.

Gerville's belief that architecture is a vessel for culture and memory continues to guide us. His mark is visible through the Virgin Islands but particularly on St. Croix, in the buildings he restored, the spaces he reimagined, and the lives he touched. I am grateful that my own son, Christian, was able as a young architecture major to have interned and been mentored by Gerville.

My heartfelt condolences go out to his family, especially his mom, his friends, and his colleagues. May his memory live forever. May his legacy inspire us to continue building with purpose, pride, and love for our Virgin Islands.

Mr. Speaker, he will be deeply missed by his circle of friends, family, and the entire Virgin Islands community. We are thankful for his lifelong contributions to preserving the character and soul of our home.