Politics

NM nonprofits misused federal funds, gave them to illegal aliens: DHS audit

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According to a new audit report issued by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General (OIG), around $110 million Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)-awarded humanitarian relief to the National Board was misspent by 18 nonprofits, some of them being in New Mexico. However, the names of the particular non-profits were not listed in the report. 

“In some cases, it was given to illegal immigrants who had evaded Border Patrol,” reported Fox News.

The OIG report notes, “On March 18, 2021, FEMA awarded $110 million in humanitarian relief funding to the National Board. According to the National Board, as of September 8, 2021, it had awarded $80.6 million of humanitarian relief funds to 25 LROs throughout California, New Mexico, Arizona, and Texas. We judgmentally selected 18 [local recipient organizations (LROs)], which received awards totaling $66 million, to review how the funds were used. The National Board continued to award and reimburse humanitarian relief funding to LROs throughout our audit.”

“We determined that these 18 LROs did not always comply with the funding and application guidance when using funds. Specifically, the LROs did not always provide or maintain the required receipts or documentation to support reimbursement for humanitarian relief fund services. In addition, some of the LROs were unable to provide supporting documentation for families and individuals to whom they provided services. From the information some LROs provided, we determined some families and individuals did not have a DHS encounter record.” 

The lack of a DHS encounter record means these “gotaway” illegal aliens had evaded Border Patrol agents instead of turning themselves in after crossing into the country illegally. 

“The IG said that of the 824 names it tested as a sample, 197, or 24%, were ineligible to receive humanitarian services, and 154 did not have an encounter record,” the Fox News report noted.

In the 2022 fiscal year alone, 2.3 million illegal alien encounters were registered by DHS.

The OIG warned in the report that “Without additional oversight and enforcement from FEMA and the National Board, LROs may continue to use the funds for services without providing the required supporting documentation for reimbursement, increasing the risk of misuse of funds and fraud.”

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Buttigieg visiting NM as part of Biden’s ‘Investing in America’ tour

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It was announced by Joe Biden that his secretary for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack, and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, will be visiting New Mexico. The visit is planned as a part of Biden’s new “Invest in America” tour.

The White House wrote in a press release that the tour would tout legislation pushed during Biden’s tenure that the administration claims is “lowering costs for hardworking families” despite, under the administration, inflation rising to record levels, making the cost of living increase for American families.

“Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack will travel to New Mexico to highlight how the President’s Investing in America agenda is providing a historic $65 billion to ensure every single American has access to affordable, reliable, high-speed internet,” wrote the White House.

The press release added, “Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg will travel to New Mexico to highlight infrastructure projects that are protecting the health and safety of communities and reducing traffic deaths.” 

“Pete Buttigieg will be in Albuquerque on Tuesday before heading down to Las Cruces on Wednesday,” one report noted.  

Buttigieg previously visited Albuquerque last November to push for his climate change agenda on tribal nations. 

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NM Supreme Court temporarily blocks pro-life sanctuary city ordinances

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On Friday, the state Supreme Court ordered a stay to temporarily block sanctuary city ordinances protecting children in the womb. These ordinances were passed in the cities of Hobbs and Clovis in 2022.

In an order signed by Chief Justice C. Shannan Bacon, Democrat Attorney General Raúl Torrez’s request to block it was granted.

The Court also ruled that it will decide the fate of the newly passed H.B. 7, which forces New Mexico public bodies to facilitate abortions and gender-affirming care. 

In the order, it reads that both parties’ briefs to the Court are due by April 20, 2023, with the stipulation “that the briefs shall address the following issue: What effect, if any, does House Bill 7, the Reproductive and Gender-Affirming Health Care Freedom Act, which was signed into law on March 16, 2023, have on this matter.”

This court case now would decide not only the fate of the pro-life ordinances but also the legislation pushed by far-left Democrats to embed radical abortion and transgender policies into state law.

Mike Seibel of the pro-life legal group Abortion On Trial (AOT) is the New Mexico attorney representing Hobbs and Clovis.

“This announcement by the Supreme Court is no surprise. We are fully prepared to argue this case to the court of last resort. We are optimistic that the 18 U.S.C. sec. 1461-62 will pre-empt over any state statute and allow these individual cities to enforce their statues,” wrote AOT executive director Jamie Jeffries following the state Supreme Court ruling.

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NM’s all-Dem congressional reps. vote against lower energy prices

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This week, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 1, which would lower American energy costs “by increasing American energy production, exports, infrastructure, and critical minerals processing, by promoting transparency, accountability, permitting, and production of American resources, and by improving water quality certification and energy projects, and for other purposes,” according to the U.S. House GOP.

The Republican-led effort received bipartisan support, with four Democrats voting in favor of the proposal. 

According to Axios, “The past four H.R. 1 bills received entirely partisan votes. Democrats’ H.R. 1 bill for the past two Congresses was a sweeping election reform package known as the ‘For the People Act,’ which didn’t receive a single Republican vote.” 

“Ironically, since Biden took office, his radical climate agenda has led to MORE emissions up to 6% higher than the previous administration. His anti-energy agenda is creating worse emissions while simultaneously pushing Americans into energy poverty,” wrote the Republican Party of New Mexico, adding, “​​It’ll create good-paying American energy jobs for workers producing the cleanest energy in the world. For comparison, America’s natural gas is 40% cleaner than Russian gas.”

However, all three of New Mexico’s congressional representatives, all Democrats, voted against the commonsense bill to lower Americans’ cost of living and restore U.S. energy independence.

Despite representatives like Gabe Vasquez of the Second Congressional District claiming to “stand by New Mexico’s energy workers,” he joined Reps. Teresa Leger Fernandez (D-NMCD-3) and Melanie Stansbury (D-NMCD-1) in opposing the bill. 

In subsequent defensive Twitter posts, he tried to justify the anti-energy worker vote by claiming oil and gas CEOs in “glamorous out-of-touch mansions” were making him their “number one target.” 

The Second District encompasses the state’s energy-rich oil patch, which is responsible for New Mexico’s economic stability. Vasquez’s vote against energy workers and industry will likely not fly in his attempt at reelection in 2024.

Former Congresswoman Yvette Herrell, a Republican, is set to announce her 2024 campaign in early April to reclaim the district.

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NM Republicans respond to Dem-led indictment of Trump

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On Thursday, a New York grand jury voted to indict 45th President Donald J. Trump, according to reports. It is the first time a current or former president has ever been indicted.

This is what many believe is yet another attempt to discredit the president. The so-called “witch hunt” against Trump has continued since he first entered the political arena, and it appears that there is no end in sight. Even though there is no evidence of wrongdoing on Trump’s part, his detractors continue to pursue him at any cost.

Actually, according to evidence, disgraced former Trump attorney Michael Cohen paid off porn actress Stormy Daniels with his own funds and with Trump or his team having no knowledge of Cohen’s payment.

The New York grand jury’s indictment against Donald Trump is yet another desperate attempt to vilify this great leader. It represents nothing more than an ongoing effort by the left-wing establishment to undermine everything he accomplished during his time in office. From day one, they have sought to tear down everything he stands for and discredit his administration’s achievements. But despite their best efforts, President Trump remains a hero and a champion for millions of Americans who cherish freedom and prosperity.

The Times reported, “It is unclear precisely when the grand jury vote criminally charging the … president was taken. Prosecutors walked into the office of the clerk in the Manhattan Criminal Courthouse, where the paperwork for an indictment was filed only minutes before the office closed for the day. For weeks, the atmosphere outside the district attorney’s office had resembled a circus. But the fervor had cooled in recent days, and the environs of the office were emptier on Thursday than they had been in weeks.”

New Mexico Republicans responded to the news, with the Republican Party of New Mexico’s chairman, former Congressman Steve Pearce, writing: 

“We’ve known from the beginning that this is a political witch hunt against the former President. We had a rogue, Soros-funded district attorney with a political agenda facing intense pressure from the left ahead of an election year.

Many Democrats have criticized this case for lack of credibility and condemned the biased judicial system in New York. This indictment sets a dangerous precedent for the future of the nation. If a former chief executive officer of the United States can be arrested on dubious charges, the same thing can happen to others.

It would be great to see the same fervor for the solid evidence against the Biden family and their ties to Communist China, or better yet, let’s see an investigation into our Governor, Michelle Lujan Grisham, and her alleged hush money payments made from her campaign funds. I wonder how long U.S. and New Mexico prosecutors will continue to sit on their hands with the precedent that has been set in New York.”

State Rep. Stefani Lord (R-Sandia Park) wrote on Twitter, “Since a grand jury indicted Trump over hush money paid to Stormy Daniels during his 2016 presidential campaign, then New Mexico Democratic Gov @GovMLG, who paid $150,000 in hush money to settle a sexual harassment claim from a former campaign spokesman, should also be indicted.”

“The BlueAnon mob’s attacks against President Trump are getting increasingly desperate—ANYTHING to make headlines in the hopes it keeps him out of the White House in 2024. Not working. This just emboldens Trump supporters like myself who want America to WIN again. #Trump2024,” wrote state Rep. John Block (R-Alamogordo).

Ronnie Lucero of the Republican National Hispanic Assembly wrote, “My support for Trump just doubled! Thank you to the radical NY grand jury for assuring a Trump victory in 2024!”

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NM House GOP leaders want feds to intervene on DD waiver claims

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This week, House Republican leaders requested that the Inspector General for the US Dept. of Health and Human Services initiate an investigation into the NM Department of Health. The call for independent investigation arrives amidst reporting from the Santa Fe New Mexican detailing what the Governor calls a “horrific case of abuse.”

House Republican Leader Ryan Lane (Aztec), Republican Whip Greg Nibert (Roswell), and Republican Caucus Chair Gail Armstrong (Magdalena) wrote to HHS Inspector General Christi Grimm asking for an independent investigation into the disturbing disclosure of “at least thirteen cases of possible abuse, neglect, and exploitation of developmentally disabled individuals.”

In the letter, House Republican Leadership states, “A federally sanctioned, independent investigation conducted by your office will ensure complete transparency regarding these suspected and unacceptable incidents. Your investigation will also preclude the inevitable possibility that the New Mexico Department of Health will fail to take necessary steps to prevent such cases in the future.”

The New Mexico DOH DD waiver program is partially funded by HHS. Republican Leadership is seeking an independent investigation in order to ensure transparency and justice for the victims and their families.

The letter continues, “Unfortunately, the State of New Mexico has a rather dismal record of protecting vulnerable populations who are under the care of state agencies and who receive needed services through state administered programs. These recently discovered cases of alleged abuse, neglect and exploitation create a new round of questions and concerns.”

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NM Supreme Court rules on judicial pandemic emergency protocols

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As New Mexico’s COVID-19 pandemic emergency is set to end on Friday, the state Supreme Court has just ruled that face masks will no longer be mandated in courthouses statewide. 

“Face masks will no longer be required in [New Mexico] courthouses after March 31, under [a] decision by state Supreme Court. Jurors will also not have to complete health screening,” wrote Dan Boyd of the Albuquerque Journal.

The decision “comes as pandemic-related public health order set to expire after three-plus years,” he added. 

Earlier in March, Democrat Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s New Mexico Department of Health announced the end of the emergency declaration. However, the governor continued to urge residents to get jabbed with the COVID-19 inoculation.

“I urge all New Mexicans, and particularly those who are older or who have compromised immune systems, to get vaccinated or get their booster shots if they have not done so already,” she said at the time.

“New Mexico declared a public health emergency at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic on March 11, 2020. Since then, the State of New Mexico has aligned its emergency orders with the federal government to ensure every available resource was utilized in the state’s COVID-19 response,” wrote the Department.

Under Lujan Grisham’s strict pandemic emergency orders, around 40 percent of small businesses in the state shuttered, according to the New Mexico Department of Tourism.

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Rio Grande Foundation releases 2023 legislative ‘Freedom Index’ results

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On Wednesday, the Rio Grande Foundation (RGF), a free market think tank, released the highest performers of its 2023 Legislative Session Freedom Index, a ranking system by the group based on floor votes taken by state legislators regarding “various economic, education, and constitutional issues from a pro-freedom perspective.”

The group ranked each vote from -8 to +8 “depending on the overall impact of the legislation.”

“The best overall voting records were compiled by Alamogordo area freshman legislator Rep. John Block. Block was followed by Rep. Randall Pettigrew, who represents parts of Hobbs and surrounding areas,” wrote the group. 

Block received a total score of 116, while Pettigrew scored 102. 

“Kudos and thank you to Rep. Block and Rep. Pettigrew for their strong leadership. We’ll discuss the Senate and have more scores in a subsequent post,” RGF wrote. 

The highest-rated state senators were Sen. Joshua Sanchez (R-Grants), with a 75 score, and Sen. William Sharer (R-Farmington), with a score of 72.

The lowest-rated senators, according to the Freedom Index, are Sen. Leo Jaramillo (D-Española), with -132, and Sens. Brenda McKenna (D-Corrales), Michael Padilla (D-Albuquerque), Nancy Rodriguez (D-Santa Fe), and Peter Wirth (D-Santa Fe) tying for second-worst with a score of -131. 

The House members with the lowest scores are Reps. Joann Ferrary (D-Las Cruces) and Natalie Figueroa (D-Albuquerque) with scores of -130. 

Votes included in the Index ranged from gun rights to abortion, with the highest-weighted categories appearing to be regarding taxation, the budget, and the environment. 

A podcast with RGF President Paul Gessing talking about the Freedom Index can be streamed here.

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After Vasquez’s pro-criminal vote, top GOP PAC launches billboard campaign

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On Wednesday, the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) announced it is launching a nationwide billboard campaign targeting vulnerable House Democrats who have embraced pro-criminal policies. 

Rep. Gabe Vasquez of New Mexico’s Second Congressional District is a name included on that list, who recently voted to reduce penalties for violent criminal offenders. Vasquez is a freshman won by a little over 1,000 votes in the November 2022 election.

“Crime is surging in these vulnerable Democrats’ backyards and they are signaling they don’t care,” NRCC Chairman Richard Hudson said. “A slap on the wrist for violent criminals is too extreme even for President Biden, but not extreme enough for these Democrats.”

Other House Democrats being focused on include Reps. Abigail Spanberger of Virginia and Susan Wild of Pennsylvania. 

The move comes as a crime wave has bludgeoned New Mexico, specifically Albuquerque, which Vasquez partially represents. 

2022 was the deadliest year on record in Albuquerque, with 121 homicides. New Mexico was ranked the state with the highest kidnapping rate in the nation. Businesses are also closing due to the crime epidemic plaguing the state.

After Vasquez’s pro-criminal vote, top GOP PAC launches billboard campaign Read More »

Haaland humiliated again during congressional hearing

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On Tuesday, U.S. Department of the Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, a Democrat former congresswoman from New Mexico’s First District, was once again humiliated in front of a U.S. congressional panel.

Haaland couldn’t answer basic questions from Congressman Ryan Zinke (R-WY), a former Interior Department secretary under President Donald J. Trump.

Zinke asked Haaland during a hearing, “Is it your policy that critical minerals should be sourced from countries that are stewards of the environment like the U.S. and our allies, or sourced from Russia and China that don’t share our same values?”

Haaland responded, “Our policy is to, um, work to make sure we have the best, um…” 

Zinke responded, “I’ll take that as a maybe,” asking further, “Are you aware that China produces more emissions than any other country on the planet?” 

“I have probably read that somewhere,” Haaland responded.

The congressman then asked, “Have you read the Department of the Interior report on critical minerals dated December ‘17?” Haaland responded that she had not. 

“Are you aware that China controls, by proxy, production [of] the supply chain of critical minerals that are critical to both the EV (electric vehicle) world and defense?” asked Zinke. 

Haaland said, “Thank you for that information.” 

After further questions from Zinke, Haaland continued to respond, “Thank you for the information, congressman,” seeming not to know the basic information referenced. 

She continued regarding a question about sourcing these minerals domestically rather than abroad, “We are working currently on identifying those critical minerals…. That is with the U.S. Geological Survey…. I know energy independence is a priority of… [Joe] Biden.”

WATCH:

Following the embarrassing hearing, Sandoval County Commissioner Jay Block wrote, “We are not sending our best and brightest to Washington. Biden’s appointees and nominees have a difficult time answering basic questions. She’s been the Sec of Interior for 2 years. Does she know anything? Embarrassing.” 

Another wrote, “This woman makes [Transportation Sec. Pete Buttigieg] look experienced & qualified,” adding, “That was pathetic.” 

During Haaland’s confirmation hearings, there were similar flubs by the then-congresswoman, who could not answer basic questions before being elevated to the Interior Department post by Joe Biden. 

NM Dems release frantic defense of Deb Haaland after confirmation hearing trainwreck

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