Governor Albert Bryan Jr. in Washington last weekend. Photo Credit: GOV'T HOUSE
Governor Albert Bryan Jr. has expressed support for several key policies championed by President Donald Trump, emphasizing areas where their views align on education reform, immigration enforcement, and transgender participation in women’s sports.
During an interview with the V.I. Consortium last week, Governor Bryan stated that while he does not agree with Trump on every issue, there are multiple areas where their perspectives converge in ways that benefit the U.S. Virgin Islands.
The governor endorsed Trump’s stance on education reform, particularly efforts to reduce bureaucratic hurdles that delay the allocation of federal education funding to states and territories. According to Bryan, funding restrictions often prevent local education departments from effectively addressing critical staffing shortages, among other challenges. He highlighted how deregulation could enable the territory to spend funds more efficiently and meet pressing educational needs.
Bryan also cited obstacles with federal environmental regulations, which he says have slowed projects in the Virgin Islands, including the long-awaited dredging of Gallows Bay and the restart of the oil refinery on the south shore of St. Croix. "We absolutely agree in terms of deregulation," Mr. Bryan said, also pointing to trouble with FEMA funding for critical post-Irma and Maria hurricane recovery projects. "I mean we've come a long way, but we still have a lot of back and forth between HUD and FEMA and the environmental processes that go with putting projects together, so we support him on that as well," he said.
The governor voiced strong support for tougher immigration policies, particularly regarding the deportation of undocumented individuals with felony convictions. “If you commit a felony and you're undocumented, and they release you back out into the public—that’s crazy,” Bryan said. He believes that undocumented individuals who commit crimes should serve their sentences in their home countries rather than burdening U.S. taxpayers. “It doesn’t make sense for us to keep paying over and over again for undocumented people who are bad actors in our community,” he added.
Governor Bryan firmly opposed the participation of transgender women in women’s sports, stating that allowing biological males to compete against female athletes is unfair. He said the issue was non-negotiable in the U.S. Virgin Islands, asserting that “we’re not going to have transgender males competing against females.” Bryan acknowledged an individual’s right to identify as they choose but maintained that this should not extend to disrupting fair competition in sports.
Despite his agreement with Trump on these domestic policies, Governor Bryan acknowledged differences in foreign policy perspectives. However, after speaking with several high-ranking officials in the Trump administration, Bryan noted that the policy approach was more pragmatic than ideological. “What they’re saying is that they don’t have an ideological administration—they want to do what makes sense,” he explained.
The territory's leader said his administration will continue to work with the federal government where interests align. He also signaled a willingness to push back against federal policies that do not serve the best interests of the Virgin Islands.
