The White House’s decision to rescind the memo freezing federal funds is a relief for CNMI Governor Arnold Palacios.

During a press conference on Saipan today, Palacios said he’s meeting with staff to discuss the anticipated changes the Trump administration has been rolling out.

“It’s very important also from our part to review our own performance. Some of our performance and programs are lagging and some are doing really well. So to those that are lagging on, now is the time to get going. When your program gets reviewed and they see that you are not performing you run the risk whether or not this OMB memo comes out. We have to expect that is going to be the case in every new administration so I think it’s a good wake up call for every state and territory,” said Palacios. 

Governor Palacios added he is glad the white house provided some clarification, admitting he is just as concerned as the cnmi has multiple programs that are federally funded.