New Mexico Legislature passes $165.5M stopgap measure for food aid
The New Mexico Legislature approved a bill during a fast-paced special session Monday that authorizes up to $165.5 million in state funds to provide food benefits to low-income families in case the federal government shutdown continues.
The Santa Fe New Mexican reports the bill, the only piece of legislation lawmakers considered, received bipartisan support in both chambers. It passed 30-6 in the Senate and 52-9 in the House.
The state funds, which would only be used if necessary, would provide food aid starting in December and last through the first week of the regular 30-day session, which begins Jan. 20.
Before the start of the special session, which ran less than four hours, state House Speaker Javier Mart铆nez said Democrats are hopeful a federal deal will be reached soon but called the bill a 鈥渂ackup鈥� should the federal government shutdown continue.
A deal to end the shutdown appeared to be on the horizon Monday, after several U.S. Senate Democrats broke rank to advance legislation to reopen the government without extending Affordable Care Act subsidies.
Democratic U.S. Sens. Martin Heinrich and Ben Ray Luj谩n of New Mexico, both voted no on the deal. The federal government has been shut down since Oct. 1. The end of the shutdown is expected to return the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program to its full federal funding. SNAP funding has seen severe disruption since Nov. 1, after the Trump administration refused to tap contingency funds.
Santa Fe City Council to decide on minimum-wage hike that has faced mixed reactions
The Santa Fe City Council is scheduled to vote on a proposed increase to the city鈥檚 minimum wage this Wednesday.
The Santa Fe New Mexican reports the proposed change has received widespread community support, as well as the backing of the local Democratic Party, along with advocacy groups including Somos Un Pueblo Unido and the Chainbreaker Collective.
However, the New Mexican also reports the proposal has received mixed reactions from the business community and some city councilors.
Introduced in September and sponsored by outgoing Mayor Alan Webber, the proposal would more closely tie future increases in the city-mandated minimum wage to the cost of housing.
Webber has suggested raising the minimum wage from its current level, $15 per hour, to $17.50 per hour.
Implementation would be delayed until Jan. 1, 2027, to give business owners time to prepare for the change, though an amendment sponsored by City Councilor and Mayor-elect Michael Garcia would implement the wage increase for city employees beginning Jan. 1, 2026.
An annual increase under the current Living Wage Ordinance is set to take effect in March, though it likely will be only around 40 cents.
NM special session will continue as residents receive full SNAP benefits for November -
As legal battles over the fate of federal food benefits for November continue, New Mexico will proceed with plans for a special legislative session on Monday, the governor鈥檚 office confirmed to Source New Mexico.
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham , amid ongoing legal wrangling about whether the United States Department would pay out Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits to the 42 million Americans鈥攁pproximately 460,000 New Mexico residents鈥攚ho receive them.
The state previously allocated $30 million to tide over New Mexico SNAP recipients for roughly the first 10 days of the month, which will run out Monday.
鈥淥ur responsibility is to ensure that families don鈥檛 go hungry waiting for this essential nutrition program to resume,鈥� Health Care Authority Kari Armijo said in a statement when the session was announced. 鈥淭his special session will allow us to continue serving New Mexicans while federal funding for the SNAP program remains uncertain.鈥�
On Friday, tit was releasing full November funding for the nation鈥檚 major food assistance program that helps 42 million people afford groceries, complying with a federal court order issued Thursday.
The governor鈥檚 deputy communications director, Jodi McGinnis Porter, confirmed to Source the state received the letter.
鈥淭he special session is moving forward Monday because Republicans in Congress still refuse to end this needless government shut down,鈥� a statement from McGinnis to Porter said. 鈥淲hile we are relieved that November benefits have been released, we are still cautious about relying on future SNAP funding being available. We鈥檙e not taking any chances with 460,000 New Mexicans鈥� food security.鈥�
Indeed, on Friday night, the U.S. Supreme Court temporarily blocked the order for the Trump administration to pay for a full month of food benefits, hours after some states began loading nutrition assistance funds on payment cards held by the 42 million Americans who use the program. However, the governor鈥檚 office on Saturday said residents received 100% of their November SNAP benefits after the state loaded the funds to EBT cards prior to the court ruling.
Democratic state leadership on Thursday had praised the forthcoming special session, while their Republican counterparts criticized New Mexico鈥檚 congressional delegation鈥攕pecifically U.S. Senators Martin Heinrich and Ben Ray Luj谩n, both Democrats鈥攆or not voting to reopen the federal government, amid an impasse between parties over Democrats鈥� push to extend health insurance tax subsidies, among other issues.
Heinrich and Luj谩n fired back Friday, saying via a joint statement that 鈥淩epublicans control the White House, the House, and the Senate. President Trump and Congressional Republicans chose to shut down the government, chose not to lower health care costs, and chose not to use funding they already have 鈥� and were ordered by a court to disburse鈥攆or SNAP.鈥�
New Mexico鈥檚 Republican state legislators, the statement continued, 鈥渉ave not called on President Trump and Congressional Republicans to comply with court orders to fund SNAP, have not called on them to work with Democrats to reopen the government and address skyrocketing health care costs, and have not condemned their party鈥檚 decision to block our legislation to keep families fed and pay service members and federal employees. Their silence speaks volumes, and their complicity in Trump鈥檚 government shutdown is infuriating.鈥�
New Mexico Senate Republican Whip, Pat Woods (R-Broadview) responded via a statement calling 鈥渢he irony from Luj谩n and Heinrich is laughable鈥� and predictable. President Trump doesn鈥檛 have a vote in the Senate. He can only take action when a bill comes to him. Senators in the U.S. Senate, those people have a vote. Why accuse Trump when it鈥檚 your own house that needs to get in order?鈥�
House Republican Leader Gail Armstrong (R-Magdalena), similarly, said via statement: 鈥淭he only thing blocking federal funding for SNAP, service members, and federal workers is their refusal to vote to reopen the government. Their press releases do nothing for hungry families or unpaid troops. If they are serious about helping New Mexicans, they should stop blaming others and cast the vote that ends the shutdown.鈥�
Heinrich, Luj谩n stand firm for health insurance cost fix as Senate moves forward with deal to reopen government - Pat Davis,
New Mexicans anxious about missing SNAP benefits or federal paychecks may get soon get some relief after a handful of Senate Democrats joined Republicans over the weekend in a deal to reopen the government, though New Mexico鈥檚 two U.S. senators did not go along, saying the deal abandons hundreds of thousands of New Mexicans facing sharply higher health insurance costs.
The vote split Democrats between those prioritizing immediate relief for federal workers and SNAP recipients, and those like Sens. Martin Heinrich and Ben Ray Luj谩n who refused to reopen the government without health care protections.
Heinrich and Luj谩n voted against the procedural measure that advanced 60-40 late Sunday night, moving the Senate closer to reopening the government after 40 days. The deal funds the government through Jan. 30 and includes full-year funding for veterans, military construction and agriculture programs, including full funding for food assistance programs that faced suspension during the shutdown.
But Heinrich and Luj谩n said they couldn鈥檛 support a deal that fails to extend Affordable Care Act tax credits set to expire Dec. 31, which would cause steep premium increases for New Mexicans buying health insurance on the state exchange.
鈥淲e voted 鈥榥o鈥� today because this 鈥榙eal鈥� is one that many New Mexicans literally cannot afford,鈥� the senators said in a joint statement. 鈥淲e refuse to let Donald Trump bully us into choosing between a mother in Roswell feeding her kids, a couple in Espa帽ola affording their health care premiums, or a VA employee in Albuquerque making their next rent payment.鈥�
As reported in in October, about 75,000 New Mexicans who buy coverage through the state鈥檚 health insurance exchange face rate increases between 35% and 52% starting in January without the federal subsidies.
The state Legislature passed subsidies to help offset some of those increases for families making under $128,600, but Heinrich has argued that 鈥渢he scale of our situation requires a federal response, too.鈥�
Eight members of the Senate Democratic Caucus broke ranks to support the deal, including Sens. Angus King of Maine, Tim Kaine of Virginia, and moderates from Nevada and New Hampshire. They said ending the 40-day shutdown was necessary to restore critical services, including food assistance.
Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), who voted yes, said Democrats secured an important concession. 鈥淲e also have an opportunity now to put Republicans on the record on the ACA,鈥� she said. 鈥淚f Republicans want to join us in lowering costs for working families, they have the chance to do so. And if they do not come to the table, they will own the premium increases they cause.鈥�
The deal includes full-year funding for the Department of Agriculture, which ensures continuation of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits. As reported in in October, 460,000 New Mexicans who rely on SNAP faced benefit suspensions during the shutdown, forcing the state to provide $30 million in emergency funding which was only enough to fund benefits through today. State legislators are set to convene for a special session today in Santa Fe to authorize additional state funding to recipients until federal funding is restored.
Democrats say they have secured a commitment from Senate Republicans to hold a floor vote in December on legislation extending the ACA subsidies, though passage is not guaranteed. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, who also voted against the deal, said the promise of a vote was insufficient.
The agreement still needs to pass the House before the government can reopen. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said House Democrats would fight the bill, though some centrist House Democrats are expected to support it.
Editor鈥檚 note: Pat Davis is the founder and publisher of City Desk ABQ.
'It's a nightmare now': NMDOT to start Rio Bravo bridge reconstruction; work scheduled to be done in 2029 - Gregory R.C. Hasman,
The New Mexico Department of Transportation will soon be starting an over $100 million Boulevard, which will include the replacement of two bridges between Second Street and Isleta Boulevard.
NMDOT assistant district engineer Isaac Chavez said on Thursday that while preparation work for the project is slated to begin on Nov. 18, the start of the construction could be pushed back if the New Mexico Gas Co. does not move a pipeline.
It depends on whether the gas company "could really get in there and do it," he said.
The pipeline needs to be moved because it is "affixed" to a Rio Bravo bridge, Tim Korte, a spokesperson for the gas company, said in an email. The work was supposed to be done by October but it was pushed back to January due to contractor issues, he said.
"We regret the additional time this work is taking, and we apologize for the inconvenience related to the delayed installation," Korte said.
The completion of the bridge project, which is expected to take place in spring 2029, could be pushed back three to six months because of the delay, Chavez said.
'A nightmare now'
Some people in the South Valley said the Rio Bravo bridge project is a good thing while others think it will cause a bad traffic situation to get worse.
"It's a nightmare now," said Marcia Fernandez, South Valley Coalition of Neighborhood Associations secretary. "I know the reconstruction of the bridges (is) important, but Rio Bravo is a parking lot right now. ... My son lives on Rio Bravo and he will probably be driving toward Los Lunas to go north into town. I'm not sure what is going to happen."
Along with a new bridge going over the Rio Grande, the project will consist of replacing another bridge along the Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District drains and canal, adding new sidewalks, signal system updates, multi-use trails and making drainage improvements, according to NMDOT.
The cost of the project is $117 million, about twice as much as the Rio Bravo Interchange project ($52.5 million) that was completed in 2019, NMDOT District 3 spokesperson Kim Gallegos said.
NMDOT will keep two lanes open in each direction, Chavez said.
"Drivers should expect the same lane access they are experiencing now for peak hour driving in the morning and afternoon commutes," he said. "The contractor will be adjusting access accordingly to keep traffic flowing the best it can. There may be some delays, but commuters can expect a wider bridge with pedestrian access once it (is) completed."
RAKS Building Supply General Manager Jerry Fields said business, which has declined , will get worse with the bridge replacements. RAKS is at the corner of Rio Bravo and Second Street.
"Business is down 30% and they haven't even started the bridge project," he said. "(Customers') biggest concern is they don't want to come into this area because it's so bad. If business keeps up this way, I'll be forced to lay off people."
According to an Oct. 21 NMDOT public meeting PowerPoint, business access should be maintained during the project.
Chavez said NMDOT takes peoples concerns seriously, which is why maintaining two lanes in each direction is so important so it does not cause too much disruptions or negatively impacts local businesses.
Work will be done from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Friday, though the contractor may work longer hours and on weekends as needed. Pedestrian access will be provided. The Paseo del Bosque Trail under Rio Bravo will be closed, however, according to the NMDOT PowerPoint.
Atrisco Heritage Academy High School Principal Anthony Lovato said while he expects some headaches, "I feel like this construction is long overdue." The school is at Dennis Chavez Boulevard and 118th Street SW.
"When it's all said and done," he said, "I think it's definitely going to benefit the community."