12 Oct 2010

CNMI government offers emergency food vouchers to public servants

8:31 pm on 12 October 2010

The government of the Northern Marianas is offering emergency food vouchers to public servants affected by last week's partial government shutdown.

More than a thousand workers, considered non-essential, were told to stay away from work until a budget deadlock was resolved at the weekend.

Melvin Faisao, who's in charge of CNMI's Nutrition Assistance Programme, says the strain will be felt in coming days with no paycheck because of the shutdown.

"October 1st to the 9th, there was a tremendous impact especially those government employees who are within the borderline of low income households. It affected them on their most basic necessities such as food."

Head of the Nutrition Assistance Programme in CNMI Melvin Faisao.