FREDERIKSTED — Virgin Islands Delegate to Congress Stacey Plaskett used the opening of the Agriculture and Food Fair in Estate Lower Love on Saturday to issue a stern warning to residents of the territory: President Donald Trump intends to end food stamp assistance for the islands.
The upcoming Congressional budget budget includes $230 billion in proposed cuts to the U.S. Department of Agriculture over the course of 10 years, a move that could impact school meal programs, SNAP benefits, and food aid for low-income students and families.
“We here in the Virgin Islands, we don’t just need to tighten our belts,” Plaskett said. “That’s austerity measures that we know we need, but we need to create self-sufficiency, food security, to come up with innovative ways that we will make up that gap for our students and for our elders.”
Plaskett referenced the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP), a program that enables schools to provide free meals to all students in low-income areas. Recent federal budget proposals aim to limit access to CEP, which could lead to approximately 24,000 schools losing eligibility nationwide. Locally, this could reduce access to school meals for thousands of Virgin Islands students.
Additionally, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits could face drastic cuts, impacting food security for low-income households. While proponents of the budget argue the cuts target waste and inefficiencies, analysts have warned that they could reduce overall benefits and restrict eligibility.
These proposed cuts are part of a budget resolution and have not yet been enacted into law. The legislative process involves further negotiations and approvals before any budgetary changes are finalized.
Plaskett also addressed the Meals on Wheels program, which is already struggling with underfunding locally.
“Additional cuts are coming,” she cautioned. “We cannot rely on the federal government for that assistance. We’ve got to figure it out ourselves.”
Plaskett emphasized the need for agriculture as a long-term solution.
“As we look ahead, it’s impossible to ignore this. Along with environmental changes that are happening around us, agriculture is not only [an] important part of our past, but it will be critical to our future.”
The annual Agriculture and Food Fair is a key opportunity to highlight the need for more agricultural independence which who lead to greater food self-sufficiency, she said.
Three decades ago, Island Dairies in Sion Farm made St. Croix self-sufficient in milk production for the Big Island. Today, the USVI is self-sufficient in nothing — all foods must be imported.
“It’s not just a demonstration of what we have been able to do, but an ability for us to look ahead to… how we can become the Wakanda of the United States,” Plaskett said. “I know that we can do it together.”
