Promises to Students must be Kept
I was troubled to hear that funding for critical federal programs in the CNMI, including the NextGen Scholarship Program, has been delayed due to administrative reviews under recent Executive Orders. These delays have put students’ education and financial stability at risk, despite prior assurances that their expenses would be covered. That’s why I wrote to President Trump, urging his administration to streamline federal assistance reviews and prevent unnecessary disruptions to programs vital to our community. While these reviews aim to align federal spending with national policy goals, territories like the CNMI face unique challenges that broad federal policies often overlook. The CNMI’s federal funding is a tiny fraction of national expenditures, but its impact on our people is profound. We’re going to keep at it—working with incoming federal officials to ensure they understand the importance of these programs and find ways to keep critical services flowing to the CNMI.