The New Mexico Department of Health is responding after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Monday that it would begin to allow individual-based decision-making to COVID-19 vaccination, allowing for anybody to get the vaccination, covered by insurance, without a prescription. Individual-based decision-making means the clinical decision to vaccinate is based on patient characteristics […]
Author Archives: NM Political Report
New Mexico allocates $5.9 million to public broadcasting after federal funding cuts
New Mexico lawmakers have allocated $5.9 million to support in-state public television and radio stations statewide after Congress eliminated federal funding for public broadcasting. The state funding includes $1.7 million specifically for New Mexico PBS, which faced an 18% budget cut totaling $1.7 million for fiscal year 2026 due to the congressional rescission vote, according […]
Anti-Exxon protestors removed from Balloon Fiesta after daring visitors to drink fake ‘produced water’
Visitors to opening weekend of the ExxonMobil Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta were greeted by an unexpected protest against the event’s main sponsor. Satirical protestors supported by WildEarth Guardians and the The Yes Men dressed as sales representatives of a fake oil and gas company, Exxtreme Energy, and offered samples of the company’s “new hydration and […]
New Mexico’s Congressional leaders on the shutdown: Speaker “doesn’t give a f*ck about working people” and more
The federal government officially shutdown at 12:01 Eastern time on Wednesday, leaving hundreds of thousands of federal workers without a paycheck and closing or delaying many essential federal services. Both sides blamed each other. Republicans claimed Democrats refused to vote on a clean extension of funding for a few more weeks while Democrats stood their […]
Here’s how federal workers can apply for New Mexico unemployment during the shutdown
New Mexicans who depend on a federal paycheck are being told to gather a few essential documents they’ll need in order to apply for state unemployment benefits if the anticipated federal government shutdown occurs later tonight. “Federal employees in New Mexico who are furloughed or laid off during a government shutdown may apply for Unemployment […]
State to offer $100,000 loans to rapidly expand child care centers to meet universal care deadline
New Mexico officials outlined plans Wednesday to expand child care access and improve program quality as the state prepares to implement universal child care beginning Nov. 1. The Early Childhood Education and Care Advisory Council discussed several initiatives aimed at strengthening the state’s child care system during its meeting in Silver City, including a newly […]
State Rep. Eleanor Chávez: “I’m gonna call it what it is… ICE is acting like the KKK”
A New Mexico state representative didn’t mince words when a state legislative committee overseeing courts and justice policy opened the floor for remarks on Wednesday. During the two-day meeting of the legislature’s Court, Corrections and Justice Committee State Representative Eleanor Chávez, a Democrat from Bernalillo County’s South Valley, recalled stories the committee had been told […]
New Mexico delegation urges exclusion from Trump administration’s roadless rule rollback
New Mexico’s congressional delegation is demanding the Trump administration exclude the state from efforts to rescind federal protections for roadless areas in national forests, citing economic and safety concerns. U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich, the ranking member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, led the effort alongside Sen. Ben Ray Luján and Reps. Melanie […]
New Mexico methane rules cut emissions by half compared to Texas, officials say
New Mexico’s methane regulations have reduced oil and gas facility emissions in the Permian Basin by half compared to neighboring Texas while generating $152 million for the state, according to satellite data released Monday by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham. The findings, announced during U.S. Climate Week, show New Mexico’s methane intensity at 1.2% compared to […]
Rep. Vasquez calls on social media companies to stop illegal gun sales
Rep. Gabe Vasquez, D-N.M., on Tuesday demanded that major social media companies take immediate action to prevent illegal firearm sales on their platforms, citing law enforcement concerns about the role of social media in youth violence. Vasquez sent letters to the chief executives of Meta, Snapchat and Telegram, urging them to strengthen efforts to stop […]