CNMI faces suspension of food stamp benefits amid federal shutdown

CNMI Delegate Kimberlyn King-Hinds and independent congressional candidate Galvin Sablan Deleon Guerrero have both voiced alarm over the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s directive halting food assistance payments in November due to the ongoing federal shutdown.

“This is deeply concerning news for the families in the CNMI who rely on NAP benefits to put food on the table,” said King-Hinds, who has been in talks with the CNMI Nutrition Assistance Program and the USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service. “My office will continue working with them to see if any funds can be unlocked in the absence of congressional action.”

She warned that the situation was part of a broader national crisis: “This is not just a CNMI issue. Millions of Americans across the country face the same uncertainty. If Congress passes a budget, the disruption to food assistance programs, including SNAP and NAP, will be resolved. But until then, we must continue pressing for short-term solutions to ensure our families in the CNMI don’t go hungry.”

King-Hinds noted the timing could not be worse, given the CNMI’s recent rollout of the electronic benefits transfer, or EBT, card system—a milestone now overshadowed by the shutdown and furlough of key USDA staff.

Deleon Guerrero also condemned the USDA’s move, calling it “not just bureaucratic—it’s cruel.”

“Thousands of families in the CNMI rely on NAP benefits to put food on the table,” he said. “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.”

He added that the decision disproportionately affects the most vulnerable. “We are talking about 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 said. “Federal officials must act immediately to restore funding and ensure no family in the Marianas goes hungry because of politics in D.C.”

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service confirmed that the federal government’s lapse in appropriations has disrupted operations nationwide.

In a formal notice dated Oct. 10, 2025, USDA-FNS informed all states and territories that there would be “insufficient funds to pay full November SNAP benefits for approximately 42 million individuals nationwide” if the shutdown continued. The directive instructed jurisdictions, including the CNMI’s Nutrition Assistance Program, to “hold their November issuance files and delay transmission to Electronic Benefit Transfer vendors.”

The CNMI NAP said it is closely monitoring the situation and remains in communication with the USDA-FNS Western Regional Office. “We will continue to provide timely updates to our community,” the agency said, urging recipients to secure their EBT cards, which will be required once funding is restored.

The uncertainty has already sparked anxiety among local families. One NAP recipient posted online that after paying bills next week, her family of four would have only $50 left—before groceries or fuel. “I’ve been starving myself to make the last benefits I received last a little longer to feed my kids,” she wrote. “I’m hoping we get good news because this year, for me at least, has been straight trash.”

Meanwhile, in Guam, Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero has asked her island’s legislature to approve the use of $12.3 million in fiscal year 2025 net unobligated excess revenue to the Department of Public Health and Social Services. The funds would cover SNAP and WIC benefits for November, preventing similar disruptions for Guam’s food assistance recipients.