The New Mexico Legislature will return to Santa Fe on Monday, November 10, for a one-day special session called by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham to continue emergency food assistance for roughly 460,000 New Mexicans receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, which the ongoing federal government shutdown has disrupted.
The shutdown — now the longest in U.S. history — stems from Democrats in Washington refusing to pass government-funding legislation unless it includes an extension of COVID-era health insurance subsidies to large health insurance companies and the wealthy. As a result, key federal programs, including SNAP, have been halted, leaving millions of Americans uncertain about costs.
What Lawmakers Will Address
According to information circulating in Santa Fe, the legislation expected to be considered on Monday would authorize up to $20 million per week from the state’s general fund operating reserve to continue food assistance until the federal government resumes funding or until mid-January 2026. The measure also includes reverting unused balances from prior state health programs to the general fund and small appropriations for legislative expenses and court security upgrades.
The proposal follows the governor’s earlier decision to release $30 million in emergency funds in early November to provide temporary state-funded SNAP benefits. Those funds are expected to run out by Monday.
While the governor and Democrat leaders have characterized the session as a humanitarian necessity, Republican lawmakers argue that the crisis is entirely avoidable — and caused by Washington Democrats themselves.
GOP Leaders: “Democrats Are Holding Families Hostage”
House Republican Leader Gail Armstrong (R-Magdalena) blasted the governor’s decision to call another special session, saying it is the direct result of the federal inaction of New Mexico’s Democrat U.S. Senators.
“We are being called into another special session because Senators Luján and Heinrich are refusing to fund SNAP benefits for the neediest New Mexicans,” said Armstrong. “I would much prefer the Governor use her authority and influence to urge our Senate delegation to end this crisis by voting to reopen the federal government. Instead, they are holding vulnerable New Mexicans hostage for political leverage. The people of this state deserve more than the costly and dangerous political games Senators Luján and Heinrich continue to play.”
Senate Republican Leader Bill Sharer (R-Farmington) echoed that sentiment, placing full responsibility on New Mexico’s Democrat delegation in Washington.
“Ben Ray Luján and Martin Heinrich have made it crystal clear: They don’t care about you,” Sharer said. “They have prioritized party politics over serving their constituents back home. Senators Luján and Heinrich have set a new low by holding the hard-working people of New Mexico hostage as political pawns for their partisan theatrics, forcing state lawmakers to shoulder the cost so that vulnerable New Mexicans can put food on their tables for the holidays.”
Sharer added that without the state’s oil and gas industry — which generates the revenue for New Mexico’s operating reserves — the state would have no means to cover this lapse in federal funding. “We should all be grateful for our state’s oil & gas industries; without the revenues they generate, New Mexico would not even have the funds available to cover this lapse,” he said.
A Question of Fiscal Responsibility
Fiscal conservatives have warned that while the state can temporarily sustain food assistance, relying on emergency reserves to backfill federal programs is unsustainable. “Temporary state intervention is understandable, but it cannot become a habit,” one legislative analyst said. “New Mexico should not be forced to pay for Washington’s failures.”
The special session, expected to last one day, will convene at noon Monday at the State Capitol. Acting Gov. Howie Morales will preside while Gov. Lujan Grisham attends the United Nations climate conference in Brazil.
While lawmakers across party lines agree that no family should go hungry, the broader debate remains clear: whether Santa Fe should continue to patch over a crisis created by what Republicans call “the Democrat shutdown” — or demand accountability from Washington to reopen the government and restore fiscal order.