NAP Has Unused Funds and Should Be Allowed to Use It
Last week, the CNMI Nutrition Assistance Program was notified that, due to the ongoing federal government shutdown, it will be unable to provide food benefits to its beneficiaries in November. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has determined that the national Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program cannot continue operations without a new federal appropriation. However, the CNMI does not operate SNAP, and NAP is separate in both law and funding structure. To address this, I wrote to Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins requesting authorization for the CNMI to use unspent funds from prior-year appropriations so that benefits can continue during the shutdown. These funds remain legally available but cannot be accessed without USDA approval. Allowing their use would ensure that food benefits for more than 5,500 households and 14,000 individuals in the Marianas continue without interruption.