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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 […]

Posted inNM State Gov.

New Mexico allocates $30 million for food aid as federal SNAP benefits are set to be halted

New Mexico will provide $30 million in emergency food assistance starting Nov. 1 to replace suspended federal nutrition benefits for roughly 460,000 residents, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced Wednesday at an Albuquerque press conference. The state funding will partially offset the loss of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, which the U.S. Department of Agriculture will […]

Posted inJobs, Workers & Economy, New Mexico, New Mexico, New Mexico Statewide News

State moving to expedite food bank aid amid SNAP benefit suspension, governor says 

New Mexico is preparing to quickly distribute millions of dollars to food banks, as federal monthly food assistance benefits are expected to cease in November if the government shutdown continues. Gov. Michelle Lujan Griusham said in a press release on Saturday that her administration is considering every legal and administrative option to address the situation […]

Posted inCongress & Federal Gov.

USDA: Emergency funds will not be used for SNAP during shutdown 

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) says  emergency funds won’t be used to provide SNAP payments to states if the shutdown continues into November, as Senate Democrats insisted was possible. In a memo released Friday, the USDA blamed Democrats for the nearly 24-day government shutdown and said that money from the contingency funds cannot be […]

Posted inPolitics & Elections

Garcia Richard led Democratic contenders for Lt. Gov’s race in fundraising before dropping out

She has put her campaign for lieutenant governor on hold, but campaign finance reports issued last week show that Democrat Stephanie Garcia Richard’s cash haul since April far exceeded those of her two rivals for the party’s nomination.   The reports, which were due on Oct. 14, showed that $165,605 rolled into the campaign of Garcia […]

Posted inPolitics & Elections

Zamora edges out Leger Fernandez in latest fundraising period; Other Congressional candidates, incumbents report big numbers

By Alex Ross — Three months after filing the paperwork to run for Congress, new campaign finance reports show that State Rep. Martin Zamora (R-Clovis) edged out Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez (D-NM-03) in campaign contributions in the recent fundraising quarter.  Reports filed this week with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) show that between July 1 and […]

Posted inPolitics & Elections

Garcia Richard halts lieutenant governor bid due to husband’s health

Stephanie Garcia Richard is suspending her campaign for the Democratic nomination for lieutenant governor of New Mexico, citing her husband’s health.   Garcia Richard, who is also currently the state’s Public Land Commissioner, broke the news on her campaign’s Facebook page on Thursday afternoon that her husband was diagnosed with cancer earlier this year.  “Over the […]