Previous Story
Nearly 500 ARPA-funded personnel instructed not to return after Dec. 31
|
Posted on Jan 04 2023
Nearly 500 CNMI government employees who were employed using American Rescue Plan Act, or ARPA, funds have been instructed not to return to work following the expiration of their contracts last Dec. 31, 2022.
In a news briefing hosted by the transition and inauguration team of governor-elect Arnold Palacios and lieutenant governor-elect David Apatang on Monday, it was reported that nearly 500 government employees were let go following the expiration of their ARPA-funded positions.
Transition Committee chair Claudio Norita stated that the transition teams that made their way through government agencies within the CNMI determined that there are nearly 500 people whose contracts were funded by ARPA and have officially expired.
“Office of Personnel Management issued the only valid directive to ensure the government is not liable. The people whose ARPA-funded contracts expired received guidance from OPM that instructed them to not return after Dec. 31, 2022,” he said.
John Reyes, overall chairman of both Transition and Inauguration committees, stated that, at this time, the committee has no word on what will happen to these personnel and their positions.
“At this time, we really don’t know the status of the ARPA funding so we can’t commit to what happens after the expiration of their contracts,” he said.
In a press briefing last November 2022, Palacios said that “irrelevant” jobs created under ARPA—which poured millions of dollars into the CNMI—will soon cease to exist once he takes office in accordance with their campaign pledge “to make a difference.”
However, jobs and positions that have or will make a difference for the CNMI in the future may be extended past the Dec. 30 expiration date.
Fortunately, Palacios said, he has reviewed a number of the employment positions created under ARPA, and a lot of them could make a difference in the CNMI, especially in its journey to recovery.
Meanwhile, the Transition Committee is in the process of finalizing its reports on over 30 government agencies within the CNMI.
Palacios and Apatang are expected to review these reports sometime this week before their inauguration on Jan. 9.
