Where Is the Missing One-Third of NAP EBT Funds? And Why Is the CNMI DCCA Hiding the Real Story From the American People?

For decades, the CNMI’s Nutrition Assistance Program (NAP)—the alternative to SNAP—has been a financial black hole. Billions of dollars in U.S. taxpayer funds have flowed into the islands, yet what comes out the other side makes no sense nutritionally, economically, or administratively.

And now a far bigger question is emerging—one that the CNMI government refuses to answer:

Where is the missing one-third of every NAP/EBT disbursement going?

Every household knows this:

Before their benefits even hit the card, one-third of the money is automatically removed. Nobody can explain it. There is no law authorizing it. There is no federal rule mandating it. There is no accounting trail presented to the public.

It is simply taken.

Subtracted.

Vanished.

Call it what it is:

Fraud. Theft. Robbery. A quiet siphoning of federal funds under the guise of “policy.”

And the USDA Office of Inspector General (OIG) should have been investigating this years ago.

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Read Our Article on the Defrauded $550 Million in Federal Funds >>>

https://www.cnmiga.org/post/257-million-vanished-in-the-cnmi-and-delegate-king-hinds-still-says-federal-intervention-is-not

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THE OUTRAGE: WHY ARE LOCALLY PRODUCED MEATS AND EGGS NOT ALLOWED?

Nowhere in the United States—not one state—are federal food benefits restricted from buying locally produced meats, eggs, or farm products.

Nowhere.

But in the CNMI?

DCCA imposes an absurd restriction that defies every federal nutrition standard:

❌ No locally grown beef

❌ No locally grown pork

❌ No locally raised goat

❌ No locally produced eggs

❌ No local island protein of any kind

Yet these same families are told they can receive:

$300 in vegetables

$400 in vegetables

$500 in vegetables

depending on the number of children.

Everyone in the CNMI knows this is ridiculous. No family—especially a large household of 5–7 people—“eats $500 in vegetables” in a month. It is nutritionally unrealistic and economically impossible.

So again, the question:

If families cannot use NAP for local meats or eggs… and if a huge portion of their benefit is restricted to vegetables they cannot realistically consume… WHERE IS THAT MONEY ACTUALLY GOING?

Because it’s not going to the people.

And it’s not going to the farmers.

And it’s not going to the children.

So who is benefiting?

FOLLOW THE MONEY: WHO PROFITS FROM THESE RESTRICTIONS?

Every time DCCA bans a category of food from NAP eligibility, someone profits.

This is not controversial—this is economic fact.

When local meats, eggs, and proteins are banned:

Local farmers lose.

Local ranchers lose.

Local food suppliers lose.

Local businesses lose.

Who wins?

Large importers.

Crony-connected wholesalers.

Foreign-owned grocery monopolies.

Political allies who control the retail channels.

By forbidding NAP recipients from buying affordable local protein, the CNMI government effectively forces people into buying imported products from the same small circle of politically connected suppliers.

This is a classic third-world corruption model:

Block local producers

Force reliance on select importers

Funnel government-funded purchases into insider-owned businesses

This isn’t nutrition.

This is cartel economics.

THE MISSING ONE-THIRD: THE MOST BLATANT UNANSWERED QUESTION

Now to the heart of the scandal:

Families report—consistently, year after year—that one-third of the household benefit is removed before disbursement.

Not reduced through income scaling.

Not deducted due to eligibility.

Not redistributed for nutrition calculations.

It is vanished.

This “missing third” is not documented.

It is not tracked publicly.

It is not explained in NAP policy.

It is not listed in federal guidance.

If any U.S. state program subtracted one-third of every EBT card before distribution with no explanation, federal investigators would swarm the building within days.

Yet in the CNMI, it continues, month after month, year after year, without a shred of transparency.

So again, we must ask loudly:

WHERE IS THE MISSING 1/3 OF EBT FUNDS GOING?

Why is it hidden?

Who pockets it?

What accounting system tracks it?

Why is the CNMI the only U.S. jurisdiction where this occurs?

And why has the USDA OIG not opened an emergency fraud investigation?

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These Persons are now ineligible in the CNMI to Receive ANY FOODSTAMPS>>>

OBBB-Implementation-Memo-Alien-SNAP-Eligibility-Oct31.pdf

Download PDF • 281KB

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THE FRAUD IS NOT SMALL — IT’S A MULTI-YEAR, MULTI-MILLION-DOLLAR SCHEME

Let’s do basic math.

If the CNMI receives $30 million in NAP funding in a given year…

And if one-third is automatically withheld, diverted, or misallocated…

That means $10 million a year is unaccounted for.

Over a decade?

That's $100 million in taxpayer funds that never reached the intended recipients.

That is not “policy.”

That is not “local flexibility.”

That is not “administrative discretion.”

That is embezzlement on a territorial scale.

A welfare skimming scheme operating in open daylight.

A federal gift turned into a political slush fund.

And every beneficiary who has ever asked “Why did they take out one-third of our benefit?” has never received an answer.

Because the answer incriminates the people who built the system.

USDA’S NEW RULES ARE NOT JUST GOOD POLICY — THEY ARE A LIFELINE FOR FEDERAL OVERSIGHT

The new USDA guidance restricting eligibility does more than tighten rules.

It exposes:

years of improper approvals

misreported household sizes

mass issuance of benefits to ineligible individuals

decades-long manipulation of federal funds

political abuse of anti-poverty programs

the shadow accounting system behind the “missing third”

And it forces the CNMI government into the one thing it fears most:

Real oversight.

Real audits.

Real investigative scrutiny.

And above all:

Real consequences.

THE OIG MUST STEP IN — IMMEDIATELY

There is no longer a gray area.

No ambiguity.

No excuse.

When:

One-third of federal benefits disappear,

Families cannot buy local meats or eggs,

Imported wholesalers monopolize federally subsidized purchasing, and

Nutrition benefits defy every national standard…

…that is not mismanagement.

It is criminal abuse of federal funds.

The USDA Office of Inspector General must open an immediate investigation into:

The missing one-third of NAP benefits

Internal DCCA accounting systems

Procurement and wholesaler relationships

Politically connected importers

Eligibility manipulation

Remittance patterns connected to NAP misuse

Collusion among CNMI officials and retailers

Because the American taxpayer deserves transparency.

The American taxpayer deserves accountability.

And American-funded programs should serve Americans, not political operatives, foreign-owned monopolies, or hidden beneficiaries.

FINAL QUESTION TO THE CNMI GOVERNMENT:

Where is the missing one-third of EBT funds?

And how long did you think you could hide it?

GET RID OF THE FILIPINOES, CHINESE AND OTHERS IN THE CNMI~!

EPILOGUE:

Eligibility of Imported CW-1 Workers for SNAP/NAP in the CNMI

Imported CW-1 workers—temporary nonimmigrant workers under the CNMI-Only Transitional Worker visa program—are generally not eligible for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) or the Nutrition Assistance Program (NAP) in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), especially under the tightened rules effective November 1, 2025. Below, I'll break this down step by step, based on federal guidelines from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service (FNS), immigration status definitions, and recent legislative changes.

1. Background on CW-1 Workers

CW-1 visas allow employers in the CNMI to hire foreign nationals for temporary labor in occupations where U.S. workers are unavailable (e.g., construction, hospitality, or professional roles). These workers are nonimmigrants—they do not intend to permanently reside in the U.S. and must leave after their visa expires (typically 1–3 years, renewable under limits).

They are not classified as "qualified immigrants" (e.g., lawful permanent residents or refugees) under immigration law. Instead, they fall under temporary work authorizations, similar to H-1B or H-2A visas elsewhere in the U.S.

CW-1 status is CNMI-specific and does not grant broader U.S. travel or benefits eligibility.

2. SNAP/NAP Eligibility Rules for Non-Citizens

SNAP (Mainland U.S. and Some Territories): SNAP eligibility for non-citizens is restricted by the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) of 1996 and the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) of 2025. Key points:

U.S. citizens and certain nationals (e.g., from American Samoa) are fully eligible if they meet income and other tests.

Qualified immigrants (e.g., lawful permanent residents/LPRs, refugees, asylees) may qualify after a 5-year waiting period, with exemptions for humanitarian cases (e.g., refugees remain exempt even after adjusting to LPR status).

Non-qualified non-citizens, including most temporary nonimmigrants like CW-1 holders, are ineligible. This includes those on work visas without a path to permanent residency.

2025 Changes (OBBBA): Effective November 1, 2025, OBBBA further restricts eligibility to primarily U.S. citizens and LPRs (with limited exceptions for humanitarian immigrants). Lawfully present non-citizens like temporary workers (e.g., CW-1, H-1B) are explicitly excluded unless they adjust to LPR status. This applies to new applications immediately and ongoing cases at recertification/renewal. A 120-day grace period for quality control errors ends November 1, 2025, after which states (and territories) must fully enforce.

NAP (CNMI-Specific Program): NAP is the CNMI's equivalent to SNAP, funded and overseen by the USDA but administered locally. Eligibility mirrors SNAP for non-citizens:

U.S. citizens and qualified immigrants follow similar rules, including the 5-year bar for LPRs.

Temporary nonimmigrants like CW-1 workers are ineligible, as NAP adopts federal non-citizen guidelines. No CNMI-specific exemptions exist for CW-1 holders.

Post-2025: OBBBA's exclusions apply to NAP, disqualifying most non-LPR immigrants, including CW-1 workers, to prioritize U.S. citizens and prevent fraud/abuse.

3. Why CW-1 Workers Specifically Don't Qualify

Immigration Status Barrier: CW-1 is a temporary, nonimmigrant classification. Federal rules bar non-qualified non-citizens from SNAP/NAP to limit benefits to those with stronger ties to the U.S. (e.g., intent to naturalize).

No Exemptions: Unlike refugees or victims of trafficking, CW-1 workers lack humanitarian exemptions. Even if they have U.S.-citizen children (eligible via CW-2 dependent visas), the worker themselves cannot receive benefits—the child's portion is prorated separately.

Income and Residency Tests: Even if status allowed, CW-1 workers must meet gross income limits (e.g., ≤130% of federal poverty level) and prove CNMI residency. However, status disqualification overrides these.

2025 Impact: The OBBBA's "alien SNAP eligibility" provisions explicitly target programs like NAP, closing loopholes for temporary workers. USDA guidance (October 31, 2025 memo) confirms states/territories must verify status via systems like SAVE and exclude ineligible non-citizens at renewal.

4. Exceptions and Edge Cases

Household Proration: If a CW-1 worker lives with eligible U.S.-citizen family members, the household benefit is calculated only for eligible members (e.g., U.S.-born children). The worker's income/resources still count toward the household test.

Path to Eligibility: A CW-1 worker could become eligible by adjusting to LPR status (e.g., via family/employment sponsorship) and waiting 5 years (or qualifying for an exemption). However, CW-1 itself offers no direct path.

State/Territorial Variations: CNMI follows federal rules strictly for NAP. No opt-outs or expansions for immigrants exist.

Undocumented vs. CW-1: For clarity, undocumented immigrants have always been ineligible; CW-1's legal status doesn't change the outcome under 2025 rules.

5. How to Confirm or Apply

Contact the CNMI Department of Community and Cultural Affairs (DCCA) NAP office for case-specific verification.

Use USDA's SNAP pre-screener tool (fns.usda.gov/snap/recipient/eligibility), but note CNMI uses NAP forms.

For immigration-related questions, consult USCIS (uscis.gov/cw-1) or a legal aid organization like the Northern Marianas Immigrant Rights Coalition.

In summary, imported CW-1 workers are ineligible for SNAP/NAP due to their temporary nonimmigrant status, a rule reinforced by the 2025 OBBBA changes. This aligns with broader efforts to prioritize U.S. citizens amid concerns over program integrity. If your situation involves a mixed-status household or recent status change, provide more details for tailored advice.

Eligibility of CNMI "Long-Term Visa" Resident Holders for SNAP/NAP

CNMI "long-term visa" residents—most commonly referring to holders of CNMI Long-Term Resident Status (a unique, permanent residency-like classification under U.S. immigration law)—are generally eligible for the Nutrition Assistance Program (NAP) in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), subject to income, resource, and other standard tests. This eligibility aligns with their treatment as "qualified immigrants" under federal guidelines, similar to Lawful Permanent Residents (LPRs). However, under the tightened rules from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act of 2025 (OBBBA), effective November 1, 2025, they must meet a 5-year waiting period from the date they obtained this status (or an earlier qualifying immigration status) to access benefits. Below, I'll break this down step by step, based on U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) guidance, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) definitions, and recent legislative updates.

1. What is CNMI Long-Term Resident Status?

This status, created by the Northern Mariana Islands Long-Term Legal Residents Relief Act (enacted June 25, 2019, under 48 U.S.C. § 1806(e)(6)), provides a pathway for certain non-citizens who have lived continuously and lawfully in the CNMI since November 28, 2009 (the start of the U.S. immigration transition period).

Key Eligibility for the Status Itself (not to be confused with NAP eligibility):

Lawfully present in the CNMI on December 31, 2018, or June 25, 2019 (under U.S. immigration laws, including parole or deferred action).

Admissible as an immigrant under the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), without needing an immigrant visa.

Continuous lawful residence in the CNMI from November 28, 2009, through the application date (brief absences for emergencies or casual trips are allowed).

Includes former CNMI permanent residents under pre-2009 CNMI law, long-term guest workers (e.g., those under "umbrella permits"), and others with strong ties.

It's not the same as LPR (green card) status and does not lead to U.S. citizenship or nationwide travel/work rights—it's CNMI-specific. Holders receive a 5-year Employment Authorization Document (EAD) via Form I-955 (Application for CNMI Long-Term Resident Status), which must be renewed.

Other "long-term visa" interpretations in CNMI context (e.g., E-2C Investor Visa for pre-2009 foreign investors, valid through December 31, 2029) are nonimmigrant and temporary, so they do not qualify as "long-term resident" for benefits purposes. If your query refers to E-2C or similar, see the exceptions section below.

2. NAP Eligibility Rules for Non-Citizens in the CNMI

NAP Overview: NAP is the CNMI's USDA-funded equivalent to SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), operating as a capped block grant under Public Law 96-597 (since 1982). It follows federal SNAP guidelines for eligibility, including non-citizen rules, but is administered by the CNMI Department of Community and Cultural Affairs (DCCA).

General Non-Citizen Rules (Pre- and Post-2025):

U.S. citizens and nationals (e.g., those born in the CNMI after January 9, 2009) are fully eligible if they meet income (≤130% of federal poverty level), resource, and work requirements.

Qualified immigrants (per the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996—PRWORA): Eligible after a 5-year waiting period from obtaining status, unless exempt (e.g., refugees, asylees, or certain veterans). CNMI Long-Term Resident Status qualifies as a "qualified immigrant" category, akin to LPRs, because it grants indefinite lawful presence and work authorization without an immigrant visa requirement.

Compact of Free Association (COFA) citizens (from Micronesia, Marshall Islands, Palau): Eligible for NAP at the CNMI Governor's option (per Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024), without the 5-year bar.

Non-qualified non-citizens (e.g., most temporary visa holders like CW-1 workers): Ineligible.

2025 OBBBA Changes: Enacted July 4, 2025, Section 10108 amends the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 to limit NAP/SNAP eligibility to:

U.S. citizens/nationals.

Lawful Permanent Residents (LPRs).

Cuban/Haitian entrants.

COFA citizens.

This reinforces the 5-year bar for qualified immigrants like CNMI long-term residents but does not exclude them entirely (unlike temporary nonimmigrants). A 120-day variance exclusion period ended November 1, 2025, requiring full enforcement for new/renewal applications. Ongoing cases are reviewed at recertification.

3. Specific Eligibility for CNMI Long-Term Resident Holders

Yes, Eligible as Qualified Immigrants: USCIS classifies this status as providing "lawful permanent residence" for public benefits purposes under PRWORA (8 U.S.C. § 1641). Thus:

They can apply for NAP after 5 years from the date of obtaining CNMI long-term status (or from an earlier qualifying status, like parole).

No immigrant visa is needed, but they must provide proof of status (e.g., I-955 approval notice or EAD) via USCIS verification systems like SAVE (Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements).

Household proration applies: If mixed-status (e.g., with U.S.-citizen children), benefits are calculated only for eligible members, but the long-term resident's income counts toward household tests.

Post-November 1, 2025 Impact: For applications/recertifications after this date, DCCA must verify status and apply the 5-year rule strictly. Early implementers faced no variances; full compliance is now mandatory to avoid federal penalties.

Income/Resource Tests: Regardless of status, gross income ≤130% FPL (~$40,182/year for a family of 4 in 2025), net ≤100% FPL, assets ≤$2,750 (with vehicle exemptions). Work requirements apply for able-bodied adults (18–59).

4. Exceptions and Edge Cases

If "Long-Term Visa" Means E-2C Investor: This is a nonimmigrant status for pre-2009 investors (renewable through 2029). Holders are ineligible for NAP, as they are not qualified immigrants—similar to other temporary visas (e.g., H-1B). They may qualify for other visas leading to LPR status.

Exemptions to 5-Year Bar: Rare for this group, but possible if the holder is a refugee/asylee, trafficking victim, or has 40 qualifying work quarters (10 years) under Social Security.

Dependents: Spouses/children under derivative status (e.g., via CW-2 or E-2C) inherit the primary holder's eligibility.

FAS/COFA Migrants: If the long-term resident is from the Freely Associated States, they may bypass the 5-year bar under territorial options.

Denials/Appeals: Ineligible if status lapses (e.g., unredeemed EAD) or if inadmissible under INA grounds (e.g., criminal history).

5. How to Confirm or Apply

Verify Status: Use USCIS Form I-955 approval or EAD (Category "C26" for CNMI long-term). Check via SAVE at dcca.gov.mp/nap or call DCCA NAP office (670-664-1700).

Apply: Submit NAP application via cnminap.gov.mp or in-person at DCCA offices. Provide immigration docs, proof of income/residency, and CNMI address.

Resources:

USDA FNS NAP Summary: fns.usda.gov/nap/cnmi-nutrition-assistance-program-summary

USCIS CNMI Long-Term Resident Info: uscis.gov/working-in-the-united-states/cnmi-long-term-resident-status

OBBBA Guidance: fns.usda.gov/snap/obbb-alien-eligibility

For legal advice, contact the Northern Marianas Immigrant Rights Coalition or a USCIS-accredited representative.

In summary, CNMI Long-Term Resident Status holders are eligible for NAP after the 5-year waiting period, treating them like LPRs under 2025 rules. This contrasts with temporary visas like CW-1 or E-2C, which bar access. If your "long-term visa" refers to a specific subcategory (e.g., E-2C), or if you have a mixed household, share more details for precise guidance. As of November 27, 2025, DCCA is processing under full OBBBA enforcement.