Faisao at the same time disclosed a 23 percent increase in local food assistance.
Sablan said it is “disheartening” to hear that the DCCA secretary does not support H.R. 1465 or the AYUDA Act.
DCCA’s opposition will make the federal government “reluctant” to support his measure, Sablan said.
AYUDA, which is Chamorro for help, stands for Assuring You Uniform Dietary Assistance.
Sablan introduced the bill to make the CNMI’s nutrition assistance program part of the national supplemental nutrition assistance program which will then provide the islands with same level of assistance given to other states.
He noted that the CNMI average per-person monthly benefit now is $88 while on Guam, which is part of the national program, the average is $208.
But according to Faisao, Sablan’s AYUDA “would only create more financial hardships for our government.”
He said the CNMI’s current food stamps program helps local farmers because 30 percent of DCCA’s clients’ monthly benefits should be from locally produced foods.
Faisao said this is not required by the national nutrition assistance program.
He said DCCA and its Nutrition Assistance Program office “deeply appreciate” Sablan’s efforts in trying to improve the benefit levels of our needy people.” But that is also the desire of the local NAP, he added.
“Our goals are similar but we differ in how to get there,” Faisao said.
He added that the 23 percent increase in food stamp assistance will take place on Oct. 1, “as soon as the NMI Thrifty Food Plan is done.”
Instead of supporting Sablan’s bill, Faisao asked for the congressman’s help to put the CNMI under the 2008 block grant similar to American Samoa and Puerto Rico.
This, he said, will guarantee that the CNMI will get the same increase in the national program.
This will also enable the CNMI food stamp program to be 100 percent federally funded and get an increase every time the national food stamp program gets an increase, he added.
Faisao also asked Sablan to help DCCA get a registered dietician to work on the CNMI’s Thrifty Food Plan. He said there is no expert in the CNMI to do this job.
Faisao congratulated Sablan for all his achievements and expressed hope that “you can understand our situation in the CNMI in finding what is realistic, practical and doable.”
