In an effort to maintain the integrity of the rum cover over program and ensure its continued support by the United States Congress, Governor de Jongh and Delegate to Congress Donna Christensen met with the Puerto Rican Governor and Resident Commissioner this past Sunday to affirm their support of the vital tax program for the Territories and also discuss the current agreements with Diageo and Fortune Brands, while trying to find common ground on how the territories utilize cover over proceeds in the future.

Speaking about the meeting earlier today, Governor de Jongh said:

“We initiated the meeting, knowing that with the extenders on the floor of the Congress this week, it is in all of our mutual interest to not jeopardize the $80 million to Puerto Rico and the $20 million to the Virgin Islands that comes annually with the renewal of these extenders."

Congresswoman Christensen added:

“In light of the aggressive media environment and actions on the Hill to support Resident Commissioner Pierluisi’s proposal that threatens the entire cover over and casts a negative light on the extenders, we expressed concern over their actions and emphasized that any damage to the program would be detrimental to both our economies."

Both de Jongh and Christensen said that the meeting was an open and frank discussion of the issues, but that no agreements were reached at this point. “We did agree to continue talking,” Governor de Jongh said. “We emphasized that our focus should be on preserving that which is mutually beneficial to both Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands,” Congresswoman Christensen said. 

“In this new era of global competition, we do not believe that tying the hands of either territory is in the best interest of our local economies or the national economy,” Christensen said. 

“Delegate Christensen and I plan to have continued discussions on this matter and we will also continue to work together to develop our Virgin Islands economy and create economic opportunity for our residents,” the Governor concluded.