COVID-19

Last in education, first in excuses: NM loses millions after failing to spend funds

The Trump administration has taken a bold step to ensure accountability and fiscal responsibility in the handling of pandemic-era education relief funds—ending a previously granted extension for New Mexico to spend the remaining $12.3 million in federal ESSER (Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief) funds. In a March 28 letter, Linda McMahon of the U.S. Department of Education notified state education leaders that the liquidation period for these funds was being cut off effective immediately.

The decision came as a wake-up call to New Mexico’s education bureaucracy, which had failed to efficiently utilize its allotted federal aid. Despite being granted nearly $980 million in total relief through ESSER during the pandemic, New Mexico still had millions left unspent, with state officials citing supply chain issues and inadequate staffing. But McMahon’s letter made it clear: “By failing to meet the clear deadline in the regulation, you ran the risk that the [U.S. Department of Education] would deny your extension request.”

In other words, New Mexico had ample time to deploy these resources—yet, as with many government initiatives in the state, the follow-through was lacking.

Lieutenant Governor Howie Morales, a Democrat and former educator, reacted angrily, calling the decision a “reckless and abrupt termination” that would impact students across the state. He claimed it would disrupt after-school programs, HVAC upgrades, and even outdoor classroom projects—yet failed to address why these projects weren’t completed in the years prior.

Attorney General Raúl Torrez joined the chorus of complaints, calling the decision “unacceptable and reckless,” and announced that New Mexico was joining over a dozen other Democrat-run states in suing the Trump administration. The lawsuit alleges that the reversal would strip schools of “essential resources like food, classroom supplies, [and] special education for teachers.”

But what’s truly “unacceptable,” critics argue, is that Democrat Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s New Mexico’s Public Education Department—despite being granted an extension through March 2026—still hadn’t managed to allocate the full amount efficiently. This is in a state that ranks dead last in education outcomes nationally, falling behind every other state and even the District of Columbia. According to longstanding rankings, New Mexico continues to struggle with low test scores, high dropout rates, and chronic absenteeism.

While the state now scrambles for another extension, the Department of Education has signaled that the era of open-ended pandemic spending is over. McMahon made it clear in her letter that “extending deadlines for COVID-related grants, which are in fact taxpayer funds, years after the COVID pandemic ended is not consistent with the Department’s priorities.”

The state had intended to funnel the remaining millions toward tutoring, after-school activities, and infrastructure upgrades in school districts, including Bloomfield, Deming, and Moriarty-Edgewood. However, the funds sat largely untouched despite the pressing academic needs brought on by the pandemic—another example, critics say, of bureaucratic mismanagement in a chronically underperforming education system.

Public Education Department spokesperson Janelle Taylor García confirmed the agency plans to apply for yet another extension. But with the Department of Education signaling that prior approvals are not guaranteed and “may be reconsidered,” the clock may have finally run out.

Despite the blow, Morales insists, “I’m not going to give up. I will continue to fight for our students and our educators who need these after-school, summer learning and tutoring programs.” Still, observers note that a true fight for students might start with taking responsibility for why the state fell behind in deploying resources in the first place—especially when the Trump administration is demanding that taxpayer dollars be used wisely and efficiently.

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NM Health Dept. fearmongering people over 65 to get new COVID-19 jab

Following the recent endorsement by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices’ (ACIP) recommendation, far-left Democrat Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s New Mexico Department of Health (NMDOH) is now fearmongering all residents aged 65 and over to get yet another dose of the updated 2023-2024 COVID-19 jab. 

NMDOH’s Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Miranda Durham, claimed, “Most COVID-19 deaths and hospitalizations last year were among people 65 years and older,” adding, “An additional vaccine dose can provide added protection that may have decreased over time for those at highest risk.”

The CDC had previously made provisions for immunocompromised individuals to receive extra doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. Now, with the advent of the updated vaccine, broader segments of the population, particularly older adults, are being encouraged to enhance their immunity against the virus.

The Department pushed the jab, saying that COVID-19 vaccines are being offered at no charge through private health insurance, Medicare, and Medicaid. Additionally, a provision has been made for uninsured individuals to receive the vaccine free of charge through a network of health centers and pharmacies participating in the CDC’s Bridge Access Program, ensuring that everyone has access to the vaccine.

“Data from the CDC indicates that adults aged 65 and older bear a disproportionate impact from COVID-19, with more than half of the hospitalizations occurring within this age group between October 2023 and December 2023. Recognizing the significance of vaccination, NMDOH encourages eligible individuals to stay up to date on their COVID-19 vaccines,” continued the press release. 

According to Bloomberg, the COVID-19 jab is “inked to small increases in neurological, blood, and heart-related conditions in the largest global vaccine safety study to date,” per scientific studies.

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Gov. Lujan Grisham tests positive for COVID-19 for third time

In an unexpected turn of events, the Office of Democrat Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham confirmed Monday in a press release that the governor has tested positive for COVID-19. The statement noted that Governor Lujan Grisham is currently “experiencing some minimal symptoms.”

The Governor’s office told the public that she is in good spirits despite the mild symptoms.

For the remainder of the week, Governor Lujan Grisham will be carrying out her duties remotely.

The press release did not provide specific details about where or how the governor may have contracted the virus. 

Governor Lujan Grisham’s positive test result also raises questions about potential impacts on the state’s governance, though the remote work arrangement is designed to ensure continuity in decision-making processes.

Lujan Grisham previously tested positive for the virus in August of 2022 and in November of 2022.

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NM is one of the states struggling the most with hiring

The Land of Enchantment has struggled to return to normal following the pandemic lockdowns, especially regarding workforce participation rates.

Nationally, the workforce participation rate is a dismal 62.6 percent, “one of the lowest rates in decades,” as WalletHub notes.

New Mexico ranked 10th in the WalletHub survey for states struggling the most with hiring, following only Montana, North Carolina, Mississippi, Virginia, South Carolina, Georgia, Louisiana, West Virginia, and Alaska, which took the top spot.

New Mexico’s most recent job openings rate was 6.8 percent, while over the last twelve months, it was at 7.15 percent. 

The state of New York was struggling the least, with a recent job openings rate of 4.50 percent and a rate of 4.73 percent over the past year. 

“WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia based on two metrics, the rate of job openings for the latest month and for the last 12 months. These metrics are listed below with their corresponding weights. WalletHub then used these metrics to rank-order the states and the District from those that struggle the most with hiring to those that struggle the least,” wrote the outlet. 

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NM Supreme Court rules on judicial pandemic emergency protocols

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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Lujan Grisham tests positive for COVID-19 after fundraising trip to Colorado

According to breaking reports, far-left Democrat Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has tested positive for COVID-19.

KOB 4 reports, “In a statement issued Thursday morning, the governor is reportedly experiencing mild symptoms and is taking the antiviral medicine Paxlovid. She reported being fully vaccinated and twice-boosted for COVID. The governor is isolated at her residence and will continue her schedule remotely. This is the first time she has tested positive. She previously tested negative for COVID-19 on Wednesday.”

She wrote on Twitter, “This morning I tested positive for COVID-19. I am very grateful to be experiencing only mild symptoms after being fully vaccinated and twice boosted, and I will continue my work on behalf of New Mexicans while working remotely.”

Lujan Grisham was previously in Colorado to attend Democratic Governor’s Association fundraising functions. She chose to hobnob with wealthy Colorado donors instead of attending a NAIOP function with small business leaders in Albuquerque.

Lujan Grisham had strict lockdowns during the pandemic, which included barring out-of-state travel, mask mandates, and vaccine mandates for health care workers, state employees, and others.

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Study finds MLG had 4th-worst response to COVID-19 with ‘F’ rating

According to a newly released Committee To Unleash Prosperity (CUP) study, alleged serial groper Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D) was ranked as the fourth-worst governor handling COVID, coming in only before New York, the District of Columbia, and New Jersey — all run by Democrats.

“The Report Card on the States measures and compares state performance on three metrics: the economy, education, and mortality from the virus. It answers the question: how did states do in balancing the health of their citizens, allowing their economies to remain operational and keeping job losses low, and keeping their schools open so that school-aged children did not suffer long term educational setbacks,” wrote the CUP.

For context, the state with the highest marks, Utah, was rated a 3.46 and an “A” rating. In contrast, New Mexico with its stringent pandemic lockdowns, forced masking, and crippling sanctions on businesses and schools, scored -2.61, an “F” rating.

The report noted how New Mexico was an “outlier” in relation to its geographic neighbors “in the direction of low combined scores.”

New Mexico ranked 40th in excessive age-adjusted mortality due to COVID-19, coming only before states such as New Jersey, New York, and the District of Columbia.

The study researchers wrote, “Our second mortality metric is all-cause excess death expressed as a percentage of expected death, which is widely considered the most accurate measure of pandemic impact because it is not subject to ascertainment bias. It also captures the near-term mortality effects of lockdown policies, such as higher drug and alcohol deaths, and differences in underlying health by being measured relative to the baseline.”

In this second test, New Mexico came in as the second-worst state in regard to Mortality, with only Arizona beating the Land of Enchantment in more COVID deaths with the second mortality metric.

New Mexico also had one of the lowest in-person education percentages, ranking 45 out of 51 during the pandemic with only 34%. 

The study noted, “School closures may ultimately prove to be the largest policy error of the pandemic era in both economic and mortality terms. One study found that school closures at the end of the previous 2019-2020 school year are associated with 13.8 million years of life lost. An NIH analysis found that life expectancy for high school graduates is 4 to 6 years longer than high school dropouts. The OECD estimates that learning losses from pandemic era school closures could cause a 3% decline in lifetime earnings, and that a loss of just one third of a year of learning has a long-term economic impact of $14 trillion.”

“Unlike mortality or economic outcomes, closing public schools was entirely under the control of policymakers. Almost all private schools were open,” the study concluded.

With the abysmal figures revealed in the survey, Lujan Grisham’s pandemic response shows to be one of the worst in the nation, and the third-worst state if the District of Columbia is excluded.

Study finds MLG had 4th-worst response to COVID-19 with ‘F’ rating Read More »

MLG claims ‘fully vaccinated’ means ‘three vaccines’

Scandal-ridden alleged serial groper Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham is now moving the goalposts yet again, this time fear-mongering New Mexicans not only into getting the COVID-19 vaccine but claiming those who don’t have a third “booster” are not “fully vaccinated.”

Lujan Grisham said on Wednesday, “We are analyzing what we can do to create those incentives – and potentially mandates – for making sure that people are fully vaccinated, which means three vaccines.”

According to Just The News, “Grisham has blamed the unvaccinated for the ongoing pandemic but recently acknowledged that vaccinated people can also contract and spread the virus and that those who become infected have only mild symptoms that don’t require hospitalization.”

Throughout the pandemic, Lujan Grisham has belittled and mocked New Mexicans for not following her strict COVID-19 practices, despite her harmful lockdowns resulting in the 5th-highest virus infection rate in the nation. Her lockdowns have also killed at least 40% of New Mexico’s small businesses.

Despite these crises in New Mexico, Lujan Grisham spent an unknown fortune in taxpayer dollars to fly to Glasgow, Scotland for a “climate change” conspiracy theory summit and to Washington, D.C. to watch Joe Biden sign a $1.2 trillion “infrastructure” bill that only included a mere 15% of items going to infrastructure. 

Throughout the pandemic, Lujan Grisham has broken her lockdown orders to buy lavish jewelry and she spent thousands in taxpayer dollars on $200/lb Wagyu beef steaks, fine wine, and liquor. This all came as New Mexicans were forced to stand in bread lines during the holidays due to her strict 75-person capacity limit in grocery stores.

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Lujan Grisham admin. to begin jabbing kids with COVID injection as early as next week

On Saturday, it was reported that once the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention gives the state the go-ahead, New Mexico will begin jabbing kids 5-11 with the COVID-19 injection, despite it having multiple serious side effects, some leading to death. 

“The state Department of Health expects to have 60,000 doses for kids ready to go out to pharmacies and doctors as soon as the authorization process is complete. Kids would need to wait 21 days after a first dose to receive the second shot,” according to the Santa Fe New Mexican.

“There are still multiple steps involved here,” Department of Health spokesman David Morgan said. “We expect to be able to start vaccinating kids next week sometime. … Once we get the CDC go-ahead, it’s historically a quick turnaround.”

Leftist Santa Fe Public Schools superintendent Hilario “Larry” Chavez said, “I think, first and foremost, this has the potential to save additional lives.” He added, “Not just for the age group of 12 and under but also adults.”

State Public Education Department spokeswoman Judy Robinson called the jab for kids as young as 5 a “game-changer.”

Despite children 5-11 only being 6% of positive COVID-19 cases, only 1% of kids with the virus requiring hospitalization, and a 99.997% survival rate, the state is pushing inoculation of kids. 

There have been more deaths reported in VAERS after COVID-19 vaccination than there have been deaths reported from all other vaccines combined for a period of 15 years, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. 

According to the National Vaccine Information Center, many previously healthy 13-year-olds died after taking the jab due to heart problems. “Two fifteen-year-olds who died after COVID-19 vaccination both died of heart failure (VAERS ID 1187918 and 1242573) [6, 7]. A 16-year-old who died after COVID-19 vaccination (VAERS ID 1225942) had a pulmonary embolism (blot clots in the lungs),” reports Asking Healthy Questions.

As for children 5-11, the negative effects of the COVID-19 inoculation are not yet known.

Lujan Grisham admin. to begin jabbing kids with COVID injection as early as next week Read More »

‘This isn’t a debate’: MLG forces state employees to get vaccinated ‘or else’

On Thursday, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced she will force all employees of the State of New Mexico to be vaccinated with the non-FDA approved COVID-19 inoculation, otherwise, they will be subjected to an unreasonable amount of testing, effective beginning August 2, 2021.

“Under the order, state employees who are not fully vaccinated against COVID-19 shall be required to demonstrate a negative COVID-19 test at least once every two weeks,” a press release from the Governor’s office read. 

“State employees who are not fully vaccinated, under the order, must wear a facemask when indoors during the course and scope of their employment — with minor exceptions for eating and drinking. (Pursuant to updated guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it is recommended vaccinated individuals resume wearing facemasks indoors as well.)” 

The Governor also threatens termination of State employees if they refuse to be coerced into taking the vaccine or if they do not subject themselves to the extreme testing criteria. The press release reads, “Employees who do not comply may be subject to disciplinary action, including termination, in accordance with applicable law.” 

Lujan Grisham proclaimed, “Right now, it’s very simple: Get a vaccine, or else you will be tested.” She added, “There will be no quarter for this virus within state government offices. I will not tolerate any unnecessary risk within the workforce under my authority. And I strongly encourage other New Mexico government agencies and private sector employers to consider doing the same.”

“I have absolutely zero appetite for another unnecessary surge of infections, hospitalizations and death,” the Governor added. “This isn’t a debate. The vaccines are safe, and they work. Misinformation to the contrary will lead to illness and death — not to mention full hospitals and economic disruption.”

“If you are eligible to be vaccinated and choosing not to, you are giving the virus an opportunity to mutate and spread. Please do not jeopardize anyone’s life, anyone’s livelihood or our state’s economic recovery. Get vaccinated,” she demanded.

Following her order, the Republican Party of New Mexico blasted the order, with Chairman Steve Pearce writing, “This is the latest example of Gov. Lujan Grisham overstepping her authority and having government make personal choices for its citizens. Now she is threatening to fire any state employee if they don’t comply with her executive order.”

“Again, there is no rhyme or reason to her random decisions. The Governor has never had a logical or sensible plan to deal with the pandemic from day one, and this latest knee jerk reaction to deal with COVID is a slap in the face to hardworking state employees. No science, just politics. The Governor should be focused on what’s happening at our border as more and more people with COVID are crossing into New Mexico. They are coming here with no proper health checks, vaccinations or masks, posing great threats to the health and well-being of New Mexicans,” he added.

The sudden move by Lujan Grisham comes after months of fear-mongering over the supposed “Delta variant,” which she claims is more dangerous than COVID-19.

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