Democrat New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham enacted numerous line-item vetoes in the massive $10.2 billion House Bill 2 budget. Wednesday was the last day to sign or veto legislation otherwise it is by default pocket vetoed.
The governor’s vetoes, reflecting a strategic adjustment of the executive branch’s budgetary powers, axed several legislated spending specifics, reducing the Legislature’s prescribed utilization of funds.
She wrote in her veto message, “…I have vetoed parts of the Act that impermissibly intrude into the executive managerial function. I object to provisions in the Act that unduly restrict appropriations to specified types of expenditures. These restrictions on agency functions exceed the Legislature’s proper, constitutionally defined role, unduly constraining the Executive’s ability to effectively administer programs to meet the State’s needs.”
Governor Grisham also reduced various reporting obligations of executive agencies, continuing her trend of continuing her quest for less oversight from the Legislature.
In a turn that veered from her administration’s usual narrative, Governor Grisham removed numerous mentions of “evidence-based” services, an approach her office often champions for its program expansions.
Notably, the governor refrained from vetoing the $6 million allocated for legislative district staffing.
While only a single junior appropriation item was entirely eliminated, Governor Grisham revised numerous others, subtly redirecting the flow and application of funds.
The governor’s vetoes affected a wide array of appropriations and mandates, ranging from education, health, infrastructure, to cultural initiatives. This included the removal of restrictions on the Department of Education regarding the number of instructional days and school week configurations, as well as blocking expansions in Medicaid eligibility without legislative consent.
A significant $50 million destined for the unestablished Indian Education Trust Fund was struck down, alongside a $24 million earmark for a Paid Family and Medical Leave Act bill, which did not pass in the legislative session.
Other notable vetoes targeted special appropriations for health facilities in Taos County and Tucumcari, Quay County, with the word “construction” being specifically removed.
The Veterans Services Department faced a cut regarding a mobile unit meant to expand outreach services. At the same time, earmarks for the Navajo Nation and Zuni Pueblo, as well as for the University of New Mexico’s School of Public Health, were also scrapped.
Changes to junior appropriations spanned a spectrum from public-private partnerships to cultural events, highlighting the governor’s nuanced approach to budget management.
To read the governor’s full executive veto message, it is available linked here. The final version of H.B. 2 is linked here under “Final Version.”
She creates her newly unelected and unaccountable executive boards and agencies to impose her agenda and to bypass the elected legislature.
Shows her hate for the Veterans in the state, her need to control successful school districts to make them another part of a statewide failing education system
Indeed! I’m a 💯 percent disabled veteran. With this administration we are treated like dirt. I served my country proudly and signed a blank check to the military. Grisham is evil 👿 and so is Heinrich and he doesn’t even live in New Mexico. All they want to promote is abortion and to ruin our children’s lives because NM education is pathetic.
Another reason why I’m leaving
New Mexico is ranked approximately 38th economically and she signed H.B. 41 .50 cent more gas tax. Welcome to little California
Quite sickening how tubby tia doesn’t care one whit for the people of New Mexico! She can’t be gone soon enough! Are there any “service-minded” people running for governor?
Agree with Diane – she will be missed.
Why have a legislature if she’s going to just do whatever she wants to do anyway? If I didn’t know the answer I’d ask how someone so awful was elected. She wasn’t elected – she was selected. If elections in NM actually worked, there wouldn’t be so many democRats in office.
We need to go to paper ballots and voter ID along with folks getting true news and not the lies of NBC, CBS, ABC, CNN, MSNBC, AND PUBLIC RADIO. NM is a conservative state, folks just need to be armed with the truth and we can then get NM on track to be a great state and not the one of the leading Marxist states.
If only that would happen. MLG (evil ice queen) needed to be gone a long time ago. And she should have been impeached for violating our US constitution. I guess we all need to file law suite against her and her comrades for this violation amongst others (if possible)…
She will stop at nothing to line her pockets with $$ and in the process, destroy NM and turn it into CA…
Truthful comments, excellent suggestions. Just go out and do your due diligence and vote them out. The power is in the People at the polls.
Congratulations all of you idiot democrat legislators. The little Marxist midget just thumbed her nose at you and told you to pound sand. Haha she can do the budget and you can’t even read. She threw you under the bus! Now the question is will you investigate and find out how the money is being funneled back to the little demon from hell?