New Mexico Legislature approves bill to backfill food assistance if federal SNAP aid falters

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico enacted legislation Monday to provide state funding for food assistance each week past the end of the year if federal Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program food aid falters.

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 on SNAP distributions to states, and efforts in Washington to bring the longest shutdown in history closer to an end.

The initiative makes up to $20 million available each week if necessary to backfill typical SNAP benefits through mid-January when the Legislature meets again.

President Donald Trump’s administration on Monday asked the Supreme Court to keep full payments in the SNAP federal food aid program frozen while the government is shut down, even as some families struggled to put food on the table.

New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, who was on travel to a climate conference in Brazil, previously used emergency orders to funnel $30 million in state funds onto EBT cards for food aid at the start of November. At the same time, New Mexico on Friday distributed full federal SNAP benefits to those residents who typically receive transfers at the start of the month.

Still, leading legislators said they were leaving nothing to chance in a state where more than 1 in 5 residents rely on SNAP — the highest participation rate in the country.

“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. George Muñoz of Gallup told lawmakers. “Always take care of the poor.”

Democrats in the legislative majority joined with some Republicans in approving the bill — including a GOP-backed amendment aimed at reducing mistakes in the state’s 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 Floor Leader Bill Sharer of Farmington, who voted for the food assistance bill. “We’re gonna do what’s right.”

New Mexico enjoys a broad budget surplus linked to booming local oil production.

The food-assistance bill would largely tap leftover funding at the state agency overseeing safety-net programs including SNAP and Medicaid, making $162 million readily available for food aid if needed — and potentially more.

New Mexico legislators said they hope eventually to claw back all state spending on food assistance linked to the federal shutdown.

New Mexico also held a special session on Oct. 1-2 at the outset of the federal shutdown to shore up 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.