Elected officials in New Mexico warn that unless a series of federal tax credits are extended before the end of the year, consumers purchasing health insurance on the individual marketplace could see dramatic hikes in prices. In 2021, Congress passed the Enhanced Premium Tax credits, which expanded the size of and eligibility for refundable tax […]
Category: Congress & Federal Gov
Posted inCongress & Federal Gov
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 […]
Posted inCongress & Federal Gov
New Mexico Democrats stand against GOP federal funding plans without healthcare cost fix
Two bills to avert a government shutdown each went down to defeat in the Senate on Friday. One of the proposals, a continuing resolution that would keep the federal government funded up through Nov. 21, cleared the U.S. House of Representatives 217-212. Reps. Melanie Stansbury, D-NM-01, Gabe Vasquez, D-NM-02, and Teresa Leger Fernandez, D-NM-03, voted […]
Posted inCongress & Federal Gov
What’s happening with the Rail Trail?
What happened to the ABQ Rail Trail? The Rail Trail was pitched as a 7-mile loop linking downtown, Old Town and the Rail Yards with public art and architecture telling Albuquerque’s story. Now the project faces its biggest setback. The Trump administration pulled $11.5 million in promised funding last week, leaving city officials scrambling to […]
Posted inCongress & Federal Gov, New Mexico
Sen. Lujan assails feds for canceling funding for minority-serving institutions
New Mexico Democratic Sen. Ben Ray Lujan is decrying a decision by the U.S. Department of Education to terminate federal funding of grants for Minority Serving Institutions. “In New Mexico and across the country, Minority-Serving Institutions have long played a vital role in expanding access to education and creating pathways to economic opportunity. The Trump […]
Posted inCongress & Federal Gov
Trump administration moves to cancel $11.5 million Rail Trail grant, Keller: ‘We will see you in court’
The Trump administration is attempting to withdraw $11.5 million in federal funding for Albuquerque’s Rail Trail project, prompting Mayor Tim Keller to threaten legal action to preserve the grant. The U.S. Department of Transportation notified the city this week that it was backtracking on a 2022 funding commitment made through the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with […]
Posted inCongress & Federal Gov, New Mexico
Trump administration withholding $410 billion in federal funds, Democratic lawmakers say
The Trump administration is illegally withholding more than $410 billion in federal funding from communities nationwide, according to an updated tracker released by Democratic lawmakers that chronicles what they call an unprecedented assault on congressional spending authority. Sen. Ben Ray Luján, D-N.M., said that President Donald Trump and Office of Management and Budget Director Russ […]
Posted inCongress & Federal Gov, New Mexico
New Mexico leaders outraged by Supreme Court’s racial profiling ruling
Members of Congress and the top prosecutor in New Mexico are condemning a U.S. Supreme Court decision that at least temporarily allows immigration officials to stop individuals based on what critics say is racial profiling. The 6-3 decision announced on Monday granted the federal government’s request to pause a lower court ruling that limited when […]
Posted inCongress & Federal Gov, New Mexico
New Mexico treasurer urges Supreme Court to strike down Trump tariffs
New Mexico Treasurer Laura Montoya is urging the U.S. Supreme Court to uphold lower court rulings that found President Donald Trump’s tariffs on foreign countries to be unlawful uses of executive power. “Though he may falsely believe he’s above the law, the courts and the Constitution say otherwise. The Supreme Court must uphold the lower […]
Posted inCongress & Federal Gov, New Mexico
NM senators call out Trump administration’s targeting of DACA recipients
By Lauren Lifke Nearly 40 Senate Democrats, including Sens. Martin Heinrich (D-NM) and Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), signed a letter last week calling out the Trump administration’s targeting of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals recipients in its move to increase deportation. The DACA program, implemented more than a decade ago, allows for some immigrants who […]