Lawmakers reconvened at the Capitol for a one-day special session this week to address concerns stemming from the ongoing federal government shutdown led by the Democrats. The Legislature passed House Bill 1 on Friday—a $120 million spending package aimed at protecting vulnerable New Mexicans from the fallout of lost federal support, including the lapse in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. The acting-governor, Lt. Gov. Howie Morales, signed the bill into law shortly after its final passage.
The legislation’s largest provision is a $100 million appropriation to the New Mexico Health Care Authority to provide temporary, state-funded food assistance in the event that federal SNAP benefits remain unavailable. The bill authorizes weekly payments of $20 million, which can only be disbursed if federal benefits are not received. Any unused funds will revert to the state’s general fund.
The move follows weeks of uncertainty surrounding federal benefits as partisan gridlock in Washington delayed resolution. Critics of the shutdown have pointed to Democrat Sens. Martin Heinrich and Ben Ray Luján for refusing to support proposals that would have reopened the federal government without conditions. The shutdown is now nearly over, following eight Democrat senators, not including New Mexico’s, who have finally agreed to stop punishing the American people.
Lawmakers in Santa Fe have called the special session an unfortunate response to Washington’s dysfunction.
Beyond the SNAP-related spending, HB 1 includes an appropriation of $100,000 for courthouse security upgrades and sweeps over $162 million in unspent or reverted funds from multiple state agencies, including:
- $89.7 million from the Medical Assistance Program within the Human Services Department
- $21.1 million from the Department of Health’s developmental disabilities programs
- $13.2 million from the Department of Finance and Administration
- $3.8 million from the Department of Transportation
Of these funds, $30 million will be transferred to the Appropriation Contingency Fund, with a provision allowing additional amounts to be redirected to the Medicaid Trust Fund if revenue triggers are met in early 2026. For the bill to take effect with haste, it must deal with all three branches of government, which the funding bill in question does.
The bill also grants the governor temporary authority to transfer up to $60 million from reserve funds if the state’s FY25 recurring revenue falls short. However, such transfers must be reported to the Legislative Finance Committee.
The governor is currently traveling abroad and is expected to return by November 18. Until then, the Health Care Authority will be responsible for monitoring federal benefit availability and implementing the temporary state-funded SNAP payments as needed.
Republicans successfully added an amendment to the bill in the House Appropriations Committee to do a study of the SNAP program, which could find fraud, waste, and abuse. However, because of the legislation’s fiscal irresponsibility, many Republicans voted against the measure.
Here we go again, more of our taxpayer money spent to keep New Mexicans on the government teat. I don’t understand how everyone is no mad as hell at how bad off the Democrats have kept N.M. at the bottom of good lists and the top of bad. Depending on where you get your news from, 20 to 25% of residents depend on government handouts instead of working harder to get the politicians to do realistic things to which bring in companies to provide good jobs so younger people stay instead of moving to more prosperous states. I am biased in my thinking from my life’s experiences when most of these programs did not exist and I sometimes had to work multiple jobs to feed my family and keep us indoors. Its well overdue that we give republicans a chance to repair the damages done by democrats and fix failing programs and change medical malpractice laws so costs can be controlled so we can retain doctors in our state.
I agree with Kevin. We now have 1 in 5 on the free stuff. This includes illegals who should not be on any Citizen benefits. The benefits are for the truly disabled. It is for temporary assistance for mothers. It is not for those who are in our country illegally. It is not for a generational family for life.
So the rest of us pay much higher food prices to account for their free stuff.
I have no issue with this if it was truly for the American citizens who need it.
However, I know many disabled who could use the help, but funny thing, they don’t qualify oddly.
I agree with both Kevin and E. 1. NoN US citizens should not receive tax dollars from any US citizen. 2. For those US citizens that do receive benefits there should be some sort of work requirement. If you do not work you do not get benefits. If a person truly is disabled there should be a recurring requirement to keep those benefits. (yes there are those that are indeed permanent disabled and cannot work. But there are those that walk with a limp, say they have a heart condition, say they cannot read, ….. that should not be collecting. 3. There should be a limit to families that collect benefits. There are too many families where the grandmother, the daughters and granddaughters are all on welfare and sometimes living in the same low rent districts. Now as far as our elected officials, they should all be on a short string. 43% of NMs are democrats but they control most of the state. The majority of hispanics are conservative in beliefs but fail to follow their conservative values at the ballot box. We need to fix that.
I ‘m 69 years old, and I am so sick of all these politicians, who do not put the American people first. Either do your damn job or get the hell out of congress, senate, or wherever you are, and support Americans.