SAIPAN — The U.S. Department of Agriculture has approved additional nutrition assistance for the Commonwealth through its disaster nutrition assistance authorities, a move Congresswoman Kimberlyn King-Hinds said could bring nearly $40 million in food assistance to households across the CNMI that need it.
In a video posted Tuesday from Washington, D.C., King-Hinds said households already receiving Nutrition Assistance Program benefits have been approved for the maximum benefit amount plus an additional 20 percent increase for six months.
For households that do not normally qualify for NAP but were impacted by the typhoon, USDA also approved disaster NAP for two months. King-Hinds said the disaster nutrition assistance was approved for those who experienced disaster-related hardship and that many residents had been asking about it.
The approval includes additional oversight measures, she said. Before a second month of benefits is distributed, USDA will review the program to see whether compliance requirements are being met and whether the money is going where it is supposed to go.
King-Hinds cautioned that approval does not mean benefits will arrive immediately, because officials on the ground still need to finalize implementation details including application procedures, eligibility guidelines and timelines for benefit distribution. She asked residents to be patient and said details would be pushed out to the public as they become available.
She also thanked the local NAP team for its work in securing the assistance.