All three members of New Mexico’s all-Democratic delegation in the U.S. House of Representatives are vowing to vote against a Senate-brokered deal to reopen the federal government because it does not include an extension of tax credits that millions of Americans depend on to purchase health insurance. U.S. Reps. Melanie Stansbury, Gabe Vasquez and Teresa […]
Category: Beats
Posted inNew Mexico Legislature #nmleg
Legislators OK $162,500,000 for state SNAP aid in quick 4-hour session
Lt. Gov. Howie Morales, in his capacity as acting governor, has signed legislation that will provide full benefits for 459,500 New Mexicans who depend on SNAP for food assistance, even if the federal government does not supply the funding. Morales signed House Bill 1 on Monday evening after the Legislature adjourned following a four-hour-long special […]
Posted inHousing & Homelessness
What’s in a name? City Council blocks administration from rebranding Juniper Flats apartments as “Gateway”
The Albuquerque City Council unanimously approved Resolution R-25-201 Nov. 5, preserving the “Juniper Flats” name for the 204-unit, 55-and-older senior apartment complex under renovation at 25 Hotel Circle NE in District 9. Though part of the city’s Gateway Network, the measure ensures Juniper Flats remains distinct from the Gateway shelter system, providing permanent, affordable housing […]
Posted inNM Legislature
Special session bill would add $192 million to fund fed SNAP gap
Federal cuts to SNAP benefits that 459,500 New Mexicans depend on for food assistance could soon be offset by $192 million in state dollars, under the bill that will be taken up during Monday’s special legislative session. The announcement came on Monday during a press conference held by New Mexico House Democrats and came just […]
Posted inPolitics & Elections
Everything Albuquerque voters need to know about the December runoff
Albuquerque voters will head back to the polls Dec. 9 to decide the mayoral race between the incumbent Democrat Tim Keller and the Republican challenger Darren White and two city council races in Districts 1 and 3. The city charter required a runoff because no candidate got more than 50% of the vote in the […]
Posted inCongress & Federal Gov.
Heinrich, Luján stand firm for health insurance cost fix as Senate moves forward with deal to reopen government
New Mexicans anxious about missing SNAP benefits or federal paychecks may get soon get some relief after a handful of Senate Democrats joined Republicans over the weekend in a deal to reopen the government, though New Mexico’s two U.S. senators did not go along, saying the deal abandons hundreds of thousands of New Mexicans facing […]
Posted inPolitics & Elections
The runoff strategy: Keller plans bipartisan outreach in runoff — while linking White to Trump
Editor’s note: As the dust settled on Tuesday night’s election, City Desk reached out to both mayoral candidates headed to the Dec. 9 runoff election to ask how they plan to forge a path to a majority following a deeply divisive general election. On Thursday, we shared responses from Darren White. Today, we feature Mayor […]
Posted inNM State Gov.
New Mexico lawmakers call for commission to probe alleged Epstein crimes at Zorro Ranch
New Mexicans may soon learn more about the alleged crimes of Jeffrey Epstein, even as efforts to get additional information about the disgraced financier and convicted sex abuser have stalled at the federal level. On Thursday, state lawmakers presented a proposal to the Courts, Corrections and Justice Interim Committee to create a commission to probe […]
Posted inPolitics & Elections
Aztec state senator joins gubernatorial race, focuses on education, rural New Mexico
Sen. Steve Lainier (R-Aztec) on Thursday became the second Republican to officially declare his candidacy for governor. Lanier, a retired educator and coach, and a first-term state senator from Aztec, announced his candidacy in a press release posted on Facebook. “As someone who spent my life serving this community – in the classroom, on the […]
Posted inNM Legislature
Governor calls special session to extend food benefits amid federal shutdown
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced Thursday she will call the New Mexico Legislature into special session Monday to extend state-funded food benefits as a federal government shutdown continues, according to a statement from the governor’s office. The one-day session comes 10 days after Lujan Grisham released $30 million in emergency state funds to provide benefits […]