Most Rio Rancho legislators critical of upcoming special session

RIO RANCHO — A majority of legislators in the Rio Rancho area believe Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s agenda for a special session, beginning Oct. 1, can wait and she should instead use next month to focus on “emergencies” facing the state.

Two local Democratic lawmakers, meanwhile, expressed urgency for the upcoming session in light of expected federal spending cuts associated with H.R.1, or the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” which President Donald Trump signed into law July 4.

Reps. Alan Martinez, Kathleen Cates, Joshua Hernandez and Catherine Cullen, as well as Sens. Jay Block and Cindy Nava, all commented on Luhan Grisham’s call Thursday for the special session, which she said is needed to “find solutions and mitigate harm ... as deep federal budget cuts” loom.

Lujan Grisham said lawmakers plan to address funding for the Rural Health Care Delivery Fund and public broadcasting, making health insurance premiums more affordable for residents losing Medicaid coverage; adding investments in food assistance; and helping the Health Care Authority prepare for upcoming Medicaid enrollment changes.

The agenda is a bit of a departure from what the governor’s office previously said a special session could include, such as crime and immigration.

However, Lujan Grisham is in talks with lawmakers to address criminal justice and community safety in both the special session and the upcoming 30-day session, a statement from her office said.

The announcement of the 2025 special session comes more than a year after the one that preceded it, which was criticized by both parties and produced only one bill, which, in part, helped pay for the session.

Six of the seven local lawmakers serving the Rio Rancho area reached out to give their reaction to the special session and what they hope to accomplish.

Block

The Rio Rancho Republican said his party will be “ready” with crime bills, and he hopes Democrats are interested in working across the aisle.

At the time of the interview, Block said he was not aware of the governor’s special session priorities and hoped there would be a focus on crime and doctor shortages.

He said some federal cuts will not go into effect until next year, so he was unsure why the governor wanted to focus so heavily on the issue.

“When’s the last time the Congress and the president signed a budget that was executed on Oct. 1? When Congress can get their act together, that would help us out,” Block said.

For that reason, he said, the special session is not worth lawmakers’ time.

“I’m not going to be funding PBS over roads and schools,” Block said.

Cates

The Democratic lawmaker said she looks forward to the special session.

While Cates had not seen any possible bills yet, she suspected much of the legislation would be aimed at addressing the “radical federal cuts.” As such, Cates would like to use the special session to fund New Mexico’s federally qualified health clinics.

She agrees with the governor’s call to address funding for PBS, which, if left unfunded, will “devastate our tribal and rural areas,” since residents rely on it for emergencies, she said.

Cullen

The Republican lawmaker wrote in an email that she believes Lujan Grisham called a special session for “purely political reasons.”

“She is refusing to address the emergencies that New Mexicans are facing every day,” Cullen wrote. “It’s vital that we face (these) issues ... but that doesn’t seem to fit the governor’s script.”

She expressed interest in fixing the state’s “broken health care system” while addressing “the root causes,” which includes reforming the state’s medical malpractice laws.

Hernandez

In a prepared statement, the Republican lawmaker from Rio Rancho wrote, “I’ll be there (in a special session) to do the work,” despite it coming so close to the 30-day session in January.

Hernandez also wrote that he is disappointed lawmakers are not using the special session to take on issues like juvenile justice and behavioral health, since “those challenges ... are not germane in the upcoming budget session.”

Hernandez said he would like to use the special session to focus on health care access, insurance premiums and other kinds of support for families, which he did not specify.

Behavioral health, criminal justice and health care, however, were all items Lujan Grisham touched on in her statement announcing a special session. Hernandez did not immediately respond to a follow-up inquiry about this.

He closed his initial statement by writing that he is “confident we can quickly get the job done for New Mexicans without too much gridlock,” since the special session agenda is short and is focused on “focused on non-controversial legislation.”

Martinez

In an interview, the Republican minority whip said he had hoped to deal with “emergencies,” crime and the state’s doctor shortage — not federal spending cuts.

“I think the governor is caving into the far progressive part of the Democratic Party, who, obviously, now is running New Mexico. It’s no longer the governor fighting for New Mexicans,” Martinez said.

He suggested the issues Lujan Grisham wants to work on should be addressed in the 30-day session next year.

But, Martinez said, Republicans will “show up ready to work,” including introducing bills. If the legislation deals with “pressing issues,” Martinez said he would co-sponsor them, but he would not commit to introducing new bills during the upcoming session.

Nava

Like Lujan Grisham, the Democrat from Bernalillo acknowledged in an interview that the special session is needed because of “critical (spending) cuts” from the federal government that are “going to affect our communities at large.”

Nava added that Medicaid, food assistance and public broadcasting cuts will “hit our communities deeply.”

In the spirit of bipartisanship, Nava said, “It is our responsibility, as legislators, to be able to come together, regardless of what side of the aisle we’re on, when we are aware that federal funding is going to be cut in a way that is unprecedented.”

Nava does not have “a list of things I will put my name behind,” but she agrees with all of the governor’s priorities in the special session.

Nava also said the circumstances surrounding the session stand in stark contrast to the last one, which occurred before her election last year.

“We are in a completely different state of urgency, (so) I don’t think we can’t even dare to compare,” Nava said.

Brandt

The Rio Rancho Republican did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Editor's note: A previous version of this story incorrectly spelled Rep. Catherine Cullen's name.