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.
Grisham hasnt called out her party, our two US Senators, or her cousin Ben Ray once to open the govt. funny how her big mouth suddenly has nothing to say about who is causing this mess. Now thanksgiving travel in peril for millions of americans. they had two NO KINGS protests. where are the NO FLIGHTS protests ? the NO FOOD protests ? the NO PAYCHECKS protests ? what phonies they are. dem voters boot lickers to their last breaths no matter the abuse their party puts on them. Keller cruising to re-election. what a pathetic city and state we are
The mainstream news is putting all the fault of the government shutdown squarely on the shoulders of republicans being monsters for taking away healthcare for millions when in fact, it is the demonrats who refuse to re-open it. You know you can trust the party that has elected it’s first open socialist to power.
The Republican legislators should introduce a Resolution condemning Lujan and Heinrich’s voting against the CR which severely impacts the wellbeing of their poor, Federal government employees, and the military constituents in New Mexico.
Let’s understand: Across the US there are 42 million on the SNAP program, or 13% of all Americans. In New Mexico, according to our own dear-Governor, there are 460 on SNAP out of 2.13 million total population, or 21% of our population! This, in itself, should be considered an outrage.
Our state is mired in poverty, and yet the governor’s agenda would punish the oil and gas industry by shutting down their older wells, thereby further crippling the main income-producing part of our economy. Meanwhile, they have also attacked the health-care industry in the state through punitive tort laws and retributionist malpractice laws. New Mexico has among the highest rates of medical malpractice lawsuits in the country, and doesn’t limit punitive damages or attorneys’ fees. Therefore malpractice insurance costs in the state are skyrocketing, driving out doctors and health-practice-supporting industries and services to other states.
No wonder that they’re trying to salvage the situation with SNAP recipients. Their major supporters are welfare recipients and not working families.
Who is paying for the mlg demonazi midget to be in Brazil for a George Soros Climate money SUCKING Conference??? All the money wasted on this climate bull schit could have paid for SNAP benefits for years and years, along with ACA(unAforadble Obama Care Act!!! mlg and the demoNAZI’s are absolute unAmerican and despicable EVIL forms of life.
As always, the end game is to create enough division, chaos, and despair so the serfs will demand even more government dependency.
Ahhh, vote buying vote buying (fraud) at its best. Way to go NM dems, again first in bad stuff. How about raising the quality of life through indivdual earned income?…too hard dems?
The media is one of the main causes for the split in America and the lies and deceit they spew everyday. The media is also to blame for the shut down as much as democrats, the attacks on ice, and the death of Charlie Kirk. I refused to watch local news in 2016 when that witch Tess on channel 4 would make nasty facial expressions and her body language whenever she had to mention President Trumps’s name. They are traitors.
“…United Nations climate conference in Brazil” – she’s off again to something (Climate Conference) that’s more like a vaca – AND… LOL… looks like Bill Gates finally did some science research. Looks like we’ll survive after all. Maybe he found out about the 26,000 year earth cycle. Earth is in its cycle of moving closer to the sun, so of course, we’ll continue to heat up!
Both Loserjan and Hiney-lick should be handcuffed and dragged off to jail! Two of the most useless individuals in Government positions and NEITHER have
the betterment of New Mexico in mind!
If roughly 32 percent of New Mexico’s population is obese how many of them require food assistance? I’ll never forget a monstrously obese victim of Hurricane Katrina screaming that she hadn’t eaten in twelve hours. Imagine that, 12 whole hours.
Lets all hope she gets a bot fly to lay eggs on her
Im discussed with all these Democrat politicians. They love having New Mexicans poor and uneducated to be able to control them and garuntee the votes. We must vote them out!
I recently received an email from Sen. Ben Ray Lujan touting his accomplishments in DC. My reply to him was to “Grow a pair” and vote to reopen the government. He did not respond. Go figure.