Submitted by Representative Kathleen Cates (D-Rio Rancho) New Mexico’s arid climate means we naturally receive limited annual precipitation, but the effects of climate change have exacerbated these challenges. Rising temperatures have led to prolonged droughts, decreased snowpack, early melting, and reduced river flows, while higher evaporation rates have diminished our water storage in reservoirs. To […]
Kevin Hendricks, nm.news
Kevin Hendricks is a local news editor with nm.news. He is a two-decade veteran of local news as a sportswriter and assistant editor with the ABQ Journal and Rio Rancho Observer.
Posted inLocal Gov.
Bernalillo County Commission defends Constitution, challenges federal administration policies
Bernalillo County commissioners passed a resolution defending the U.S. Constitution and challenging current federal administration policies they say threaten county residents’ rights and access to essential services. The Aug. 4 resolution, sponsored by Commission Chair Eric Olivas and Vice-Chair Adriann Barboa, directly addresses how federal policy changes could affect the county’s 676,000 residents — particularly […]
Posted inCongress & Federal Gov., New Mexico
New Mexico senators secure nearly $400 million for military bases, rural communities
New Mexico’s U.S. senators have secured nearly $400 million in federal funding for projects spanning from military base construction to rural fire departments, as the Senate passed its first fiscal year 2026 appropriations bills before the August recess. Senators Martin Heinrich and Ben Ray Luján announced a combined total of approximately $395 million for New […]
Posted inCongress & Federal Gov., New Mexico
Heinrich bill targets New Mexico’s wildfire insurance crisis
New Mexico homeowners facing skyrocketing insurance premiums and policy cancellations could benefit from federal legislation aimed at understanding how wildfires drive the insurance crisis affecting one in eight properties in the state. U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., and Sen. Tim Sheehy, R-Mont., introduced the Wildfire Insurance Coverage Study Act on July 25, legislation requiring the […]
Posted inBernalillo County
Bernalillo County to accept millions in state housing funds at Monday meeting
Bernalillo County commissioners will vote Monday to accept millions in state legislative funding that could help address the county’s need for 28,000 additional housing units by 2035, potentially impacting thousands of residents struggling with housing costs. The Bernalillo County Commission will consider authorizing County Manager Cindy Chavez to accept and budget funding awarded from the […]
Posted inCongress & Federal Gov., New Mexico
Rep. Vasquez finds overcrowded ICE facility detaining mostly non-criminal immigrants
New Mexico’s largest immigration detention facility is over capacity and holding hundreds of people without criminal records, according to U.S. Rep. Gabe Vasquez. Vasquez found the Otero County Processing Center “bursting at the seams” with over 1,100 detainees in a facility designed for 1,089 people, with more than 80% having no criminal charges or convictions, […]
Posted inNew Mexico, NM State Gov.
Governor plans special session to shield New Mexicans from federal budget cuts
More than 760,000 New Mexicans who rely on Medicaid and food assistance could face benefit cuts or stricter requirements under federal legislation, prompting Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham to consider calling lawmakers back to Santa Fe as early as late August. The governor is “likely to call a special session, possibly in late summer or early […]
Posted inCongress & Federal Gov., New Mexico
Sen. Luján leads Democratic push to reverse health care cuts affecting 89,000 New Mexicans
Up to 89,000 New Mexicans could lose their Medicaid coverage and six to eight rural hospitals could close within 18 months under Republican health care cuts that Sen. Ben Ray Luján and Senate Democrats are now trying to reverse through new legislation. Luján led Senate Democratic leadership Wednesday in introducing the “Protecting Health Care And […]
Posted inEducation, New Mexico
New Mexico schools receive $44 million in released federal funds
This report is supported by NM Political Report, a nonprofit newsroom working to increase New Mexicans’ engagement in politics and public policy. Reported by: Rodd Cayton This report is original reporting by a New Mexico-based independent journalist with support NMreports.org and its readers and sponsors. The Trump Administration’s decision to reinstate nearly $7 billion in […]
Posted inCongress & Federal Gov., New Mexico
Trade policy uncertainty stifles New Mexico manufacturing growth
New Mexico manufacturers are sounding the alarm about how federal trade policies and tariffs are damaging their bottom lines and threatening the state’s economic growth, according to discussions held Monday with U.S. Representative Gabe Vasquez. During a July 28 roundtable meeting in Sunland Park, plant managers and business leaders from Santa Teresa’s manufacturing sector told […]