GOVERNOR Arnold I. Palacios on Tuesday issued the following statement:
“Like many other U.S. state and territory leaders, our administration is carefully reviewing the memo issued today from the U.S. Office of Management and Budget, which temporarily pauses the obligations and/or disbursements of federal financial grants and funding assistance potentially affected by recent executive orders.
“We are assessing the directive to determine its impacts on current and anticipated federal grant funding. As do other jurisdictions throughout the country, the CNMI heavily relies on federal funds for essential and critical programs that affect our community, including infrastructure projects, public health and safety initiatives, and educational programs.
“We will ensure that the public is kept informed as we work closely with our federal partners to seek clarification and collaborate to safeguard the CNMI’s interests.”
