Santa Fe, New Mexico — New Mexico enacted legislation Monday to provide state funding for food assistance each week after the end of the year if federal food aid for SNAP defaults.
Lt. Gov. Huey Morales signed the bill as acting governor to ensure food assistance is delivered to EBT cards amid a flurry of legal activity over SNAP distributions to states, and efforts in Washington to bring in food aid The longest closure in history Closer to the end.
The initiative provides $20 million each week if needed to fill typical SNAP benefits until mid-January when the Legislature meets again.
New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham, who was on her way to attend a climate conference in Brazil, had previously used emergency orders to transfer $30 million in state funds to electronic funds transfer cards for food aid at the beginning of November. Meanwhile, New Mexico on Friday distributed full federal SNAP benefits to residents who typically receive transfers at the beginning of the month.
However, prominent lawmakers said they were leaving nothing to chance in a state where more than 1 in 5 residents rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program — the highest participation rate in the country.
“The people out there are counting on you, they’re counting on you to do the right thing because in Washington, it’s not getting done,” Democratic state Sen. Jorge Muñoz of Gallup told lawmakers. “Always take care of the poor.”
Democrats in the legislative majority joined some Republicans in approving the bill — including a GOP-backed amendment aimed at reducing errors in the distribution of federal SNAP aid in the state.
“We did not need to use the government shutdown to terrorize the people of New Mexico,” said Senate Minority Leader Bill Sharer, R-Farmington, who voted for the food aid bill. “We’ll do what’s right.”
New Mexico enjoys a large budget surplus tied to booming domestic oil production.
The food aid bill would largely tap into remaining funding at the state agency that oversees safety net programs including SNAP and Medicaid, making $162 million readily available for food aid if needed — and perhaps more.
New Mexico lawmakers said they hope to eventually recoup all of the state’s spending on food assistance tied to the federal shutdown.
New Mexico also held a special session on October 1 and 2 at the beginning of the federal shutdown to support food banks with $8 million in new funding, along with $17.5 million in SNAP-related costs to offset cuts under Trump’s spending and tax cut bill.