Sablan at the same time announced that the CNMI Department of Public Works has been awarded a $500,000 highway grant.
According to the congressman, the CNMI is one of only two jurisdictions in the U.S. without its own National Guard to respond to local emergencies.
His H.R. 2773 will ensure that the governor of the commonwealth can call up the Guard in case of typhoon, tsunami, earthquake, or other natural or man-made disaster.
Joining Sablan as original cosponsors are Congresswoman Donna Christensen, D-VI, Congresswoman Eleanor Norton, D-DC, and Congressman Walter Jones, R-NC.
Through an agreement between Gov. Benigno R. Fitial and then-Guam Gov. Feliz Camacho signed in 2010, the Guam National Guard is able to recruit residents of the CNMI to serve on Guam and hundreds have signed up, Sablan said.
“This shows that we have many people willing to serve and could support our own Guard unit. My bill will allow these dedicated individuals to serve the Northern Marianas and not have to travel to Guam,” he added.
Highway grant
The U.S. Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, has awarded the CNMI Department of Public Works $500,000 to improve traffic safety information in the commonwealth, Sablan said.
The grant is provided pursuant to Section 408 of the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act, A Legacy for Users.
SAFETEA-LU expired on Sept. 30, 2009, Sablan said, “and we have been operating on a series of short-term extensions since. I am working to maintain current funding for the Northern Marianas, when this federal highway legislation is reauthorized, and to expand the access territories have to federal surface transportation programs. Last week I co-sponsored legislation, H.R. 2734, that would allow the secretary of Transportation to allocate money from the Highway Trust Fund to any territory for programs and projects that would be eligible for funding in a state.”
Spending cuts
In related news, Sablan noted that “after an extended game of legislative brinksmanship that left even more uncertainty hanging over our shaky economy, a bill lifting the cap on the amount of money the United States can borrow was agreed to in Congress and signed by the president last week.”
The Budget Control Act of 2011 identifies $917 billion in spending cuts from 2012 to 2021.
A second cut of $1.2 trillion is to come from recommendations of a special 12-member congressional committee, if approved by Congress, or from automatic across-the-board reductions in spending.
For an objective analysis of this law by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, see http://www.cbo.gov/ftpdocs/123xx/doc12357/BudgetControlActAug1.pdf.
“Among other details, you’ll see that the Act protected the Pell grants for college students, but eliminated federal loan assistance to graduate students,” Sablan said.
“I am concerned this is the kind of decision we will continue to see as the debt reduction debate rages on — compromising the long-term economic health of the United States by failing to invest in our own human resources. I understand that we cannot allow the national debt to spiral out of control. We have to cut spending and increase revenues to balance our books. But the best way to return to the days of budget surpluses that were achieved in the Clinton administration is to get people working, so that demand for goods and services will grow and businesses will begin expanding.”
