SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico passed legislation Monday that would provide state funding for food assistance every week after the end of the year if federal SNAP food assistance ends.
Lt. Gov. Howie Morales signed the bill as acting governor to ensure the delivery of food assistance through EBT cards amid a flurry of legal activity over SNAP payments to states and Washington's efforts to near the end of the longest shutdown in history.
The initiative would provide $20 million each week as needed to replace typical SNAP benefits until mid-January, when the Legislature reconvenes.
New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, who was traveling for a climate conference in Brazil, previously used emergency orders to transfer $30 million in state funds to EBT cards for food assistance in early November. At the same time, New Mexico on Friday distributed full federal SNAP benefits to residents who typically receive transfers earlier in the month.
Still, top lawmakers said they are 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.
“People are counting on you, they're counting on you to do the right thing because that's not what's being done in Washington,” Democratic Sen. George Munoz 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 how states distribute federal SNAP aid.
“We didn't need to use the government shutdown to intimidate New Mexicans,” said Republican Senate Minority Leader Bill Sharer of Farmington, who voted for the food assistance bill. “We will do what is right.”
New Mexico has a significant budget surplus due to booming local oil production.
The food assistance bill would largely use leftover funding at the state agency that oversees safety net programs including SNAP and Medicaid, making $162 million readily available for food assistance if needed — and potentially more.
New Mexico lawmakers have said they hope to eventually cut all of the state's food assistance costs related to the federal government shutdown.
New Mexico also held a special session Oct. 1-2 at the start of the federal shutdown to support food banks with $8 million in new funding, as well as $17.5 million in SNAP-related spending to offset cuts under Trump's spending and tax cut bill.
