Tenorio, who now belongs to the governor’s Covenant Party, said the administration should explore negotiations rather than taking the matter to the court.
“We should negotiate. I would prefer that we sit down and negotiate our differences with the feds,” the former governor said.
He added that Section 902 of the Covenant allows the CNMI and federal governments to discuss issues affecting their relationship.
“902 is one prerogative. The governor can instantly appoint his representative to discuss all issues. To me that’s the best way to do it. This idea of suing the federal government is not good,” Tenorio said.
Last November, the federal court in the nation’s capital dismissed the lawsuit filed by Gov. Benigno R. Fitial.
But the cash-strapped CNMI government continues to pay the Washington, D.C. law firm, Jenner & Block, $50,000 a month.
Fitial said the firm should be retained because the adjudication process is not yet over pending the publication of the final regulations for the transitional worker program under the federalization law.
Only after the final regulations are published can the CNMI appeal the federal court’s ruling.