Department of Community and Cultural Affairs Secretary Frank Rabauliman, left, and Nutrition Assistance Program Administrator Margaret Aldan appear before the House Ways and Means Committee on Thursday.
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THE Department of Community and Cultural Affairs’ Nutrition Assistance Program is facing a possible 35% decrease in food stamp benefit levels for fiscal year 2026, according to NAP Administrator Margaret Aldan.
During a meeting conducted by the House Ways and Means Committee Thursday, Rep. Roman C. Benavente asked Aldan to confirm whether there may be a reduction in NAP funding.
In response, Aldan said that for fiscal year 2026, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service has so far assured only $34.8 million in funding for the CNMI. By comparison, the CNMI received $48 million for the current fiscal year.
“Every month, our office draws down between $3.9 million to $4 million,” Aldan said. “If we don’t receive additional funding beyond the $34.8 million we’ve been told to expect, we are looking at a 35% decrease in benefit levels.”
She added that the CNMI has reached out to U.S. Congresswoman Kimberlyn King-Hinds to advocate for maintaining current funding levels.
Aldan acknowledged that the CNMI could receive higher funding levels if it transitions from NAP to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, the national food assistance program. However, she noted a significant challenge: “The biggest difference with SNAP is the matching requirement. Even at a 25% match, if we are running the program at $53 million, do we have that 25% matching? That’s the real question.”
Benavente agreed, saying, “That is the challenge we have.”
DCCA Secretary Frank Rabauliman reported that NAP currently serves 5,189 individuals. Of the total funding received by the department, 98% ($71.1 million) comes from the federal government and just 2% ($1.5 million) from the CNMI government.
“There was a huge bump in NAP funding this year,” Rabauliman said. Of the $56.3 million from the federal government, 87.9% goes directly to client benefits, 9% to personnel, and 2% to operations, he added.
He noted that the original memorandum of understanding with FNS for this fiscal year was based on a $53 million budget, but FNS was initially only able to fund $34 million, which was expended by April.
“As a result, we went month-to-month based on FNS’s recommendation, requesting additional funds as we moved forward,” he said. “Ultimately, the federal funding increased to $56 million for FY 2025.”
He noted that $20 million of the $56 million came from pandemic and disaster aid that hadn’t been available before.
Aldan said they were “told to submit a budget for FY 2025 at $34.8 million.” But, she added, “we were allowed to include wording that additional funds ‘may be made available as needed and as determined by [the U.S. Department of Agriculture] in consultation with the CNMI.’”
“Since January, we’ve been meeting with them and warning that we’d run out of money by May. In April, we were informed we’d be getting $4 million for May. Then, about two weeks ago, we were told we were getting an additional $12 million. I was like, ‘Whoo!’ So yes, that’s how it happened.”
But Aldan cautioned that FY 2026 might not follow the same path.
Rabauliman said while NAP faces a potential funding decrease, demand continues to rise.
“At present, we’re providing around $4 million in benefits monthly,” he said. “We anticipate more individuals will be coming in for assistance.”
Correction: The NAP serves 5,189 individuals, not 41,824 as previously reported. According to Secretary Frank Rabauliman, it is DCCA that serves a total of 41,824 individuals.
