New Mexico Legislature approves bill to backfill food assistance if SNAP aid falters
SANTA FE, New Mexico — New Mexico passed a law Monday providing state funding for food assistance every week after the end of the year if food assistance from the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program fails.
Lt. Gov. Howie Morales signed the bill as acting governor to ensure delivery of food assistance to EBT cards amid a flurry of legal activity over SNAP distributions to states and efforts in Washington to end the longest shutdown in history.
The initiative makes up to $20 million available each week as needed to backfill typical SNAP benefits through mid-January, when the Legislature reconvenes.
President Donald Trump’s administration asked the Supreme Court Monday to keep all payments from the federal SNAP food assistance program frozen during the government shutdown, even as some families struggle to put food on the table.
New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, who was traveling to a climate conference in Brazil, had already used emergency orders to funnel $30 million in state funds into EBT cards intended for food aid in early November. Meanwhile, New Mexico on Friday distributed full federal SNAP benefits to residents who typically receive transfers at the beginning of the month.
Still, top lawmakers said they’re leaving nothing to chance in a state where more than one in five residents rely on SNAP — the highest participation rate in the nation.
“People are counting on you, they’re counting on you to do the right thing because in Washington, that doesn’t happen,” Democratic Sen. George 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 state distribution of federal SNAP aid.
“We didn’t need to use a government shutdown to terrify the people of New Mexico,” said Republican Senate Minority Leader Bill Sharer of Farmington, who voted for the food aid bill. “We’re going to do what’s right.”
New Mexico benefits from a large budget surplus linked to the boom in local oil production.
The food assistance bill would largely tap remaining funds from the state agency that oversees welfare programs including SNAP and Medicaid, making $162 million readily available for food assistance if needed — and potentially more.
New Mexico lawmakers said they hope to eventually recoup all state spending on food aid related to the federal government shutdown.
New Mexico also held a special session Oct. 1-2 at the start of the federal shutdown to bolster food banks with $8 million in new funding, as well as $17.5 million in SNAP-related costs to offset Trump’s spending cuts and tax cuts.
