A day after Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham announced that the state would use $30 million of its own funds to cover SNAP benefits for 459,500 New Mexicans, State legislative Republicans are questioning the decision and the unusual way the governor made the funds available.
New Mexico Legislative Republicans contacted today by New Mexico Political Report say the onus should be on Congress, specifically the state’s all-Democratic congressional delegation, and not the state, to address the freeze of food assistance benefits caused by the ongoing government shutdown.
“The NM Senators need to vote to reopen the government,” New Mexico House Republican Caucus Chair Rebecca Dow (R-Truth or Consequences) said in a social media post on Wednesday.
To bundle the $30 million, Lujan Grisham signed 40 executive orders, each authorizing $750,000 in emergency spending, the maximum available for a governor to spend without legislative approval.
The benefits have become the latest flash point in the ongoing federal government shutdown, which has lasted 30 days so far. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has said monthly benefits for November will not be dispersed on Saturday because of the Senate’s failure to pass a short-term spending measure. Republicans hold 53 seats in the U.S. Senate, but the measure needs 60 votes for passage. As of Thursday, most Democrats, including New Mexico Senators Martin Heinrich and Ben Ray Lujan, have voted against the bill 13 times because they say it lacks a solution to expiring federal healthcare subsidies expected to drastically increase health insurance costs at year-end.
Democrats argue the USDA could tap a contingency fund to make the payments and note that SNAP benefits have been paid out in all past government shutdowns.
Senate Republican Caucus Chair David Gallegos (R-Eunice) told the New Mexico Political Report on Thursday that the governor’s announcement amounted to “a knee-jerk reaction,” and argued that Lujan Grisham, a Democrat, should instead work to persuade New Mexico’s two Democratic Senators, Martin Heinrich and Ben Ray Lujan, to support the resolution.
“I would hope the governor would make dialogue not about what we are going to do as a legislature, or what she’s doing with her emergency money, but with her forcing our elected delegation to do its job in D.C,” Gallegos said.
Sen. Candy Ezzell (R-Roswell) echoed that sentiment.
“I think if enough pressure is put on them by people throughout the nation to get together and come up with a plan instead of shutting down the government, then that is what needs to happen,” she said.
Gallegos and Ezzell also said they are uneasy with the governor using multiple executive orders to authorize the spending, which they describe as overreach.
Lujan Grisham, during Wednesday’s announcement, indicated that she would not rule out calling the legislature into a special session if the halt in benefits continues beyond ten days.
Ezzell, though, expressed wariness over that possibility.
“They’re going to have to pony up more money to pay for everything it takes to put on a session, and it’s not cheap to get it done,” she said.
As always, the people who need the assistance the most are the ones paying because the republicans are playing the blame game. Republicans only think of themselves and how much money they can squeeze out of the poor and middle income families. For once advocate for everyone and not just the elite!
While GOP bloviators are uneasy with the Governor’s weaseling to feed the hungry, they seem awfully quiet when it comes to the Trump administration’s gyrations to withhold funds to feed those same folks, many of whom are children. If the Congressional Dems caved, how soon would funds be available for the hungry? Ezzell and Gallegos seem to think, ‘tomorrow.’
Typical Republican answer…no money, funding or food for the disadvantaged but falling all over themselves for the obscenely wealthy.
Republicans say open the government and we’ll talk about ACA changes. They have said this for 16 years and still no specifics on changes. Don’t trust them. Once they get what they want, Democrats will be excluded again and their status quo will remain.
The GOP is fine with people not being fed and their only suggestion for the problem is to have Congress take away their healthcare instead.
Absolutely agree. Thanks for your comment.
I am extremely grateful that our governor is funding SNAP. Of course the GOP legislators don’t like it that we have a governor who wants kids and our elders to have food AND affordable healthcare. It’s absurd to think our governor should lean on the Democrat legislators to give in.
What does Ezzel and Gallegos propose to the problem of SNAP benefits being cut and how to solve the need to supply for food of New Mexicans in need?
Exactly.