GOVERNOR Ralph DLG Torres said he is pleased with the fiscal year 2022 budget measure and how the American Rescue Plan Act funds are being spent.
He noted that close to $20 million in stimulus funds have been disbursed, adding that there will be more funding available to the CNMI’s municipalities.
“Each municipality has their own spending plan. I look forward to that. This is a once-in-a-lifetime where there’s funding to be spent, and you need to spend it, and we’re spending it right. We’re trying to get people to get back into the workplace,” he added.
He said the Northern Marianas Technical Institute recently held its grand opening even as the administration continues to partner with Northern Marianas College and the Public School System in creating a larger local workforce.
“There’s a lot of work to be done,” the governor said. “I cannot emphasize enough that the current government employment cannot address the [federal] funds that are here and are coming.”
He said PSS alone has received more than $250 million and will need an entire department or division to address the federal funding allocations.
Torres said this is also the case with the federal funding through the Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery.
In addition, he said, the CNMI also needs more construction and other workers to upgrade the islands’ infrastructure.
The governor thanked the CNMI Department of Finance for ensuring that the Commonwealth government is “run the right way” and efficiently, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic.
“There [are] a lot of funds that need to be spent,” he added.
