GOVERNOR Arnold I. Palacios is hopeful that the CNMI government can figure out how to minimize the impact of the reduction of food-stamp benefits under the federally funded Nutrition Assistance Program.
The local NAP office has announced that it will implement a 20% reduction in monthly benefit levels for Saipan, Tinian, Rota, and the Northern Islands for the period beginning Jan. 1, 2024, through Sept. 30, 2024.
In an interview on Saturday, the governor said the level of federal assistance will return to its regular or pre-Covid-19 allocation. He noted that during the Covid-19 pandemic, the CNMI was provided additional NAP funds.
“Of course, [the reduction in assistance] is very unfortunate. Hopefully, in the immediate future, we can figure out [how to] minimize the impact on our people,” the governor said.
The NAP, which is under the Department of Community & Cultural Affairs, aims to be a “safety net to help safeguard the health and well-being amongst low-income residents of the Commonwealth.”
NAP is funded through a block grant that is 100% federally funded. The rules governing the program are inscribed in the memorandum of understanding negotiated annually between the U.S. Department of Agriculture-Food and Nutrition Service and the CNMI government.
In March 2019, the NAP said there were around 3,206 families relying on food stamps. Most of them — about 2,929 households — were from Saipan.
