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I think people need to be aware that this is probably the only time that the U.S. House of Representatives have had a formal hearing here in the United States Virgin Islands.

I first want to thank Chairman Farenthold for calling this hearing to examine the impact of the Federal Government's response to Hurricanes Irma and Maria in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

A permanent FEMA process--presence, sorry, in the territory or enter the fact that this is to become our new reality and that a permanent presence would mean a more efficient experience.

Both Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, as well as Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer, wrote an opinion piece together after coming to the Virgin Islands who recognized that the Stafford Act must be amended to allow for resiliency and the hardening…

I especially would like to thank the senate president, Myron Jackson, as well as all the members of the legislature for hosting us and having this hearing here in the Virgin Islands legislative building.

Thank you so much for all that you and your men and women of the Coast Guard did for the Virgin Islands.

Are there opportunities for new funding for new infrastructure to incentivize areas in resiliency?

The U.S. Territories have been subjected to substantial infrastructure funding cuts over the last 25 years.

I especially want to thank you for coming to the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, and to all the places that you visited that have been affected by the 2017 hurricane season.

I know that the chairman says that in Pennsylvania they have expended all of their resources at the State level and the local level to do the matching that is necessary for the Federal Government.

Does the White House infrastructure plan include considerations particularly for States and other areas to have found that the Federal investment on hazard mitigation has a six-to-one return on investment?

How much of the $50 billion in rural infrastructure program funding does the administration expect to set aside for Territorial infrastructure?

Has the Army Corps had meetings with other Federal agencies to coordinate plans and make other preparations for the possibility of what the season may look like?

Can you explain what were the issues that the Army Corps had in the slowness of the installation of those?

But do you understand, when you say in the past, you make it sound like it was two years ago when it was actually just a couple of months ago.

I have heard the concerns that you all have raised, as well as local concerns that are in the Virgin Islands as well, regarding different issues, whether it is stretching the permitting process, et cetera.

The Army Corps were staggeringly slow in installing the blue tarp roofs on houses that were seriously damaged by hurricanes.

I have heard serious concerns from my constituents that the Army Corps acted much more slowly than the local Department of Public Works.