THE CNMI received a total of $1.9 billion in Covid-19 relief, or an allocation of $39,100 per capita, which is the highest among U.S. territories, according to the U.S. Government Accountability Office.
The report, which U.S. Congressman Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan also mentioned in his e-newsletter, stated that American Samoa received $1.3 billion or $25,600 per capita; the U.S. Virgin Islands, $1.5 billion or $17,200 per capita; Guam, $2.7 billion or $17,600 per capita; and Puerto Rico, $24.8 billion, or $7,500 per capita.
The U.S. Census Bureau stated that in 2020, the CNMI had a population of 47,329; Guam, 153,836; Puerto Rico, 3.3 million; American Samoa, 49,710; and the U.S. Virgin Islands, 87,146.
The GAO report said federal agencies allocated more than $32 billion in Covid-19 relief funding to the territories through more than 100 new and existing federal programs across 16 federal agencies.
Territory government officials told GAO that the funding helped them meet key priorities, including the public health response to Covid-19, improvements to healthcare infrastructure and access, replacement of lost revenue for continued government operations, and infrastructure development.
The implementation of pandemic restrictions in March 2020 shut down the islands’ only industry, tourism, which has yet to recover.
Reimbursements
The CNMI and other territories also faced challenges in accessing some Covid-19 funds due to pre-existing financial challenges and unique territory government structures, the GAO report stated.
The CNMI officials told GAO that as of May 2023, the Commonwealth was “waiting for reimbursement from Federal Emergency Management Agency for costs associated with the Covid-19 response, which the agency is still reviewing.”
FEMA, the GAO report said, confirmed that the CNMI had $58 million in pending reimbursements.
In his e-newsletter, Kilili said the report indicated that Covid relief exceeded the CNMI’s 2019 pre-pandemic gross domestic product, and helped the local economy stay afloat.
“The federal funds also allowed the Commonwealth to continue government operations and provide healthcare, infrastructure improvements, and other essential public services during the pandemic. GAO reported that Commonwealth officials faced challenges dealing with the massive funding, including insufficient administrative capacity, unclear allowable uses for the money, narrow time frames for spending, and meeting reporting requirements,” Kilili said.
