SAIPAN — Rep. Vincent “Kobre” Aldan said Wednesday that the CNMI’s history of failed federal audit and procurement requirements stretching back to Super Typhoon Soudelor in 2015 is directly contributing to slower federal reimbursement and heavier scrutiny of disaster assistance paperwork during the Typhoon Sinlaku recovery.
Speaking in a video recorded at his home in As Lito, Aldan said he had attended a morning meeting at the CNMI Legislature with non-governmental organizations and came away with a frank message for the public about why federal assistance is moving more slowly than many expected.
“The quickness of it will be a little bit more burdensome, to say the least, all because of failure of past administrations stretching as far back as 2015,” Aldan said.
Aldan said the federal government has every right to scrutinize CNMI submissions given a documented record of failures in procurement, documentation, sub-recipient monitoring, asset accountability and audit reporting across multiple administrations and multiple disaster recovery cycles. He said those failures have created a climate of stricter controls and slower reimbursement that now affects how quickly NGOs, the CNMI government and residents can access federal assistance.
“When you, as the grantee, cannot justify the cost of whatever it is that you’re purchasing and trying to get reimbursed, they are not going to give you that money back quick, fast and in a hurry,” Aldan said.
He said non-profit organizations with federally recognized funds are moving resources into the field and then waiting on reimbursement from FEMA, and those replenishment delays trickle down to residents waiting for water, generators and equipment.
Aldan said he holds the boots-on-the-ground workers at CUC and across government blameless, reserving his criticism for past leadership and management. He said he is offering free labor to repair generators, chainsaws and small engines for community members, asking only that they cover the cost of parts.
In the video, Aldan showed his own solar power system, battery storage, 5,000-gallon water tank with a private distribution system, and Starlink internet connection, which he said he shares with neighbors. He said he built the off-grid setup specifically to avoid depending on CUC and the government for basic services.
Aldan closed the video by announcing he is running again as an independent candidate for Precinct 1, saying he is aligned with Rep. Blas Jonathan “BJ” Attao and House Speaker Edmund S. Villagomez.
