For fiscal year 2010, the CNMI Nutrition Assistance Program, or NAP, received total funding of $12.148 million from the USDA.
Close to 3,000 households with an undetermined number of members directly benefit from the food stamp program and this figure is expected to go up as the islands’ economy continues to worsen.
In his May 7 letter to Speaker Froilan C. Tenorio, DCCA Secretary Melvin O. Faisao asked him to help push the CNMI’s agenda in Washington, D.C.
Faisao said the additional $9 million should cover the food stamps intended for permanent residents — spouses and children of U.S. citizens and Freely Associated State citizens — who have been here for at least five years but were delisted from the program in 1998, as well as the increase in the food stamp benefits of households.
It will also allow DCCA to hire at least four additional full-time-employees.
“As we see the emerging increase in the number of residents seeking NAP’s assistance due to our ailing economy, we realized how important and crucial it is for us to seek further assistance from leaders like you and assistance from our representative in Washington, D.C. to work with U.S. Congress and USDA Food and Nutrition Service for their assistance,” Faisao told Tenorio, Covenant-Saipan.
In 2002, the federal government allowed spouses and children of U.S. citizens and FAS citizens to receive food stamps.
But Faisao said they still cannot accommodate these individuals due to budgetary constraint.
“During the last negotiation with the regional office in June 2009, we requested for reinstatement but the current budgetary cap made it impossible to do so,” he said.
Faisao, at the same time, said his office continues to encourage food stamp recipients to find jobs.
“A good percentage of our clientele must register for work or school to ensure continuity in their food stamp eligibility,” he said. “Can you assist us in passing laws to require business establishments to give first priority to eligible NAP clients before they pick alien workers?” he asked Tenorio.
“CNMI Public Law 15-108 requires NAP authorized retailers to employ at least one local person in order to continue to redeem food stamp coupons. We haven’t seen an impact on the number of clients required to work on our registry. We have more people on the program that must look for and secure a job in order to remain on the program. Many of our clients are frustrated from being turned away time and time again,” Faisao added.
Northern Marianas Congressman Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan continues to work with the USDA on the CNMI food stamp issue.
Sablan is particularly concerned about those living on Rota and Tinian who have to pay more for basic commodities due to their islands’ remote locations.
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