SAIPAN — Independent U.S. House candidate Galvin Sablan Deleon Guerrero is calling on federal officials to immediately restore funding for food aid in the Commonwealth after the U.S. Department of Agriculture ordered the CNMI Nutrition Assistance Program (NAP) to suspend November benefits because of the ongoing federal shutdown. Millions of low-income households in the 50 states and territories are at risk of losing access to food assistance next month as the shutdown drags on and USDA says it will not draw on emergency funds to cover November aid.
In a statement released from his campaign team, Deleon Guerrero said that the shutdown is not just bureaucratic, it’s cruel.
“Thousands of families in the CNMI rely on NAP benefits to put food on the table. To suspend those benefits — especially going into the holiday season — is unacceptable and shows just how disconnected Washington has become from the real lives of our people who are already hurting.”
USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service told states and territories on Oct. 10, 2025, to prepare to halt November benefit distributions unless Congress restores funding, according to shutdown guidance circulated to state agencies. States and territories have since warned that aid programs like SNAP and NAP could see an unprecedented gap, affecting roughly 42 million people nationwide and nearly 7 million more who rely on WIC, a crisis anti-hunger groups say food banks cannot absorb. The agency has also told states it will not tap its contingency reserve to cover November benefits during the shutdown, a position that has drawn pushback from governors, mayors, and members of Congress.
Deleon Guerrero said the impact in the Marianas will fall hardest on “families who already live paycheck to paycheck under the weight of austerity, our man’amko on fixed incomes, and our children who depend on meals for their growth and development.”
He also said this moment proves the CNMI needs stronger federal-territorial protections so core programs such as food aid, education, and other basic services can’t be cut off every time Washington gridlocks over spending.
“Leadership means standing up when it matters most. It goes beyond lectures about how Washington works and, instead, delivering results when they are needed the most,” he said. “Our islands deserve stability and respect. The federal government has an obligation under the Covenant to help our people achieve a higher standard of living — not to take food off their tables.”
“This is what I’m fighting for: fighting for our families, fighting for respect, fighting for us.”
