How do you respond to an authoritarian president and federal Republican Party that gleefully raises grocery prices, cuts healthcare, and defunds rural TV/radio stations?
NM Dems showed the nation exactly how in last week’s New Mexico legislative special session, with state lawmakers addressing urgent community needs and reinforcing the well-being of families statewide.
Within just two days, legislators enacted a series of landmark investments in food access, healthcare, public media services, and contingency planning. The leadership of the Democratic Party proved pivotal, ensuring that the session’s priorities addressed the immediate and pressing concerns arising from the harmful effects of the disastrous Republican budget bill that passed over the summer.
Among the session’s most impactful outcomes was the allocation of $8 million to reinforce food banks and $2 million to supply school food pantries, including those at the University of New Mexico (UNM) and New Mexico State University (NMSU). These funds are designed to directly combat food insecurity, ensuring that students and local families have consistent access to free nutritious food at a time when grocery prices are breaking the bank for all of us.
Healthcare affordability has also been strengthened with the allocation of $17 million towards keeping premiums stable for over 60,0000 residents utilizing the BeWellNM marketplace (aka Obama Care).This legislation will prevent a projected 600% increase in healthcare premium costs for New Mexican communities as a result of the federal GOP who only care about lining their own pockets. Additionally, the legislature has allocated $50 million to the Rural Health Care Delivery Fund to support rural clinics and healthcare providers in expanding services and enhancing care for underserved populations — a crucial pillar in keeping these clinics open amidst the GOP federal budget cuts which otherwise could have closed at least 15 rural hospitals.
Public service investments included $6 million to sustain public television and radio stations, as well as an additional $400,000 specifically for radio stations serving the state’s tribes, nations, and pueblos — a direct response to Trump’s federal funding cuts that would have negatively impacted these systems. The Department of Health was also authorized to continue its vaccine access initiatives, aligning with American Academy of Pediatrics recommendations, instead of the guidance of RFK Jr. who has literally no medical training and believes in conspiracy theories related to healthcare. To further strengthen state disaster preparedness, $30 million was added to our Contingency Fund, enabling rapid responses to natural disasters such as floods and wildfires. This initiative is even more critical now, given the slow and smaller Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) reimbursements being received under the current Trump administration.
While Democratic lawmakers were focused on getting the job done, many Republicans took a different approach, using social media to label it the “not so special, special session” and arguing that protecting healthcare and emergency alert systems were not urgent matters. Rep. Mark Duncan R-D2, even suggested that he would like to see the federal cuts continue.
Overall, these robust efforts of our New Mexico legislature illustrate how collective action and decisive leadership can foster meaningful change, even in the face of differing viewpoints and implementation hurdles. New Mexico continues to serve as a model for responsive, equitable policymaking that strengthens New Mexican families, fortifies our communities, and prepares the state for the rapidly increasing challenges of the future.
This special session underscored the significance of effective governance rooted in unity, equity, and attentiveness to community needs. The measures brought forward will strengthen our state’s infrastructure and yield lasting benefits for our communities, particularly our rural and vulnerable populations. We are deeply grateful to our New Mexican legislature for their courage and commitment to care.