Dem gov lashes out as Trump HUD scrutinizes nearly $2B in disaster funds over fraud concerns

By Fox News · Fox News

Virgin Islands Gov. Albert Bryan Jr. slammed the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) after the agency suspended procurements involving the territory's housing finance authority over concerns about fraud and abuse tied to nearly $2 billion in disaster-recovery aid. Bryan, a Democrat, said HUD’s suspension came as a "shock" and called HUD's letter "unprofessional." He claimed the U.S. Virgin Islands' disaster-recovery issues have been "sensationalized" and that the suspension is an "overreach." "When I go to Washington, I don't go and visit [HUD or FEMA] anymore because we don't have any problems," Bryan claimed when pressed by local media at a public briefing in Charlotte Amalie. MINNESOTA OF THE CARIBBEAN? TRUMP ADMIN FREEZES VACATION HOTSPOT’S FUNDS OVER ALLEGED HURRICANE-AID ABUSES At one point, Bryan suggested HUD’s announcement could be a "political stunt" timed with Tuesday's start of early voting in the territory’s contested gubernatorial election. Bryan is term-limited. "[W]hy does the press have it and why does Fox News in particular have it and why are we only hearing about this now?" Bryan fumed – as Fox News Digital exclusively broke the news Tuesday. "We'll be appealing [HUD’s suspension] and then get into the bottom of what exactly is generating this kind of harsh motives in the Virgin Islands." TRUMP ADMIN PAUSING OVER $1B IN MEDICAID PAYMENTS TO MINNESOTA, CALIFORNIA OVER FRAUD, COMPLIANCE CONCERNS Fox News Digital reached out to HUD for comment. When Bryan said an audit cited in HUD's suspension notice had ended some time ago, a reporter noted a separate HUD report found the Virgin Islands Housing Finance Authority's risk management practices remained "below the lowest desired level" as recently as March 2025. The reporter asked Bryan whether it was fair to say the territorial government had been "blindsided" by HUD's letter and subsequent news reports. VANCE TURNS UP HEAT ON STATES WITH FEDERAL CASH THREAT OVER MEDICAID FRAUD CRACKDOW…