On Friday, Gov. John deJongh, Jr. voiced several goals and concerns of the Virgin Islands at a meeting with President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and fellow Democratic governors in the nation’s capitol.
According to a news release from Government House, deJongh travelled Thursday evening to Washington, D.C. to attend the winter meeting of the National Governors Association, which runs through Monday. DeJongh has other meetings scheduled prior to his return to the territory at mid-week.
DeJongh and the other assembled governors discussed several topics Obama raised in his State of the Union speech, including the upcoming sequester budget cuts and funding for early childhood education.
DeJongh said he will continue to pursue a combination of objectives during meetings of the National Governors Association and Democratic Governors Association over the weekend.
“It is important to share with federal policymakers, legislators, and governors of other states and territories our concern about damaging budget cuts that will set back our recovering tourism sector," deJongh said. "I also want to ensure the Virgin Islands is rightfully included in federal initiatives, especially involving early childhood education."
“Early childhood education is an area where we have invested quite a bit of effort here in the Virgin Islands, and I wanted to share our progress and make sure the territory participates in any federal programs soon to come,” the governor said.
Sequestration is part of the budget showdown pitting House Republicans, who control that chamber, against the president and the Democratic majority int he Senate. If the two sides cannot reach an agreement on deficit reductions this week, $85 billion dollars of money appropriated for spedning will be set aside, or "sequestered" and will need to be cut from the federal budgets. Cuts will be across the board, affecting both domestic and defense spending.
The Congressional Budget Office estimated the cuts would put 750,000 people out of work.
DeJongh urged that instead of deep, automatic and across-the-board budget cuts invoked by the sequestration, efforts to reduce the deficit should emphasize balance between spending cuts and revenue measures. The sequestration cuts would inflict unnecessary economic damage upon the country and the Virgin Islands, he said.
Sequester cuts to the military could also reduce the readiness of the Virgin Islands National Guard, de Jongh added.
At Friday’s meeting, deJongh answered a direct question from Vice President Biden about the territory’s broadband initiative and the impact in the Virgin Islands of stimulus funding. The governor said he also hopes to discuss with Attorney General Eric Holder a federal commitment to protecting the territory’s shores through the Initiative of Caribbean Basin Security.
“This weekend is an opportunity to have those discussions with my fellow governors from both parties and officials from the Obama administration,” deJongh said.
In deJongh’s absence, Lt. Gov. Gregory R. Francis is acting governor.
