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Knight attends stimulus meeting led by VP Biden
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Posted on Mar 13 2009
Every state and territory in the United States is feeling the pressure as governments compete for the stimulus money, according to Lynn Knight, Gov. Benigno Fitial’s representative at a Thursday stimulus meeting in Washington D.C.
Knight, chairperson of the Commonwealth Economic Development Strategy Commission, was among state and territory representatives from across the country that learned about the process.
Vice President Joe Biden, who, along with Earl Devaney, the Inspector General of the Department of the Interior, is tasked with overseeing the funding process, led the meeting.
The meeting was designed to present the latest information on the $787 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Each federal agency that has a pot of money within the package presented during the meeting, which President Obama briefly attended, “which was a surprise,” Knight said. “He came in around 11am, so we were really excited to be able to see him and hear what he had to say.”
The CNMI is not the only area feeling like it has limited resources and is working against the clock to complete the grant applications in order to compete for money, Knight, the publisher of the Saipan Tribune, said.
“One of things I saw today is every state in the nation feels the same way. This is a very accelerated schedule. Everyone has limited capability. …This is just happening so fast, and it’s so huge everyone is just scrounging for information,” she said.
Biden made a good point during his remarks, Knight said. The vice president said the United States is in a crisis, and it requires an exercise in discipline and fiscal responsibility, because this has never been done before and there is only one chance to get it right.
Knight will share the information she learned with Commerce Secretary Michael Ada and Fitial. Ada is leading the CNMI’s effort for grant money.
On Wednesday, the Commerce chief said he would be pleased if the CNMI received $100 million to $150 million in competitive grant money.
The Commonwealth is expected to receive approximately $30 million in non-competitive formula grant funds, he said.
