New Mexico lawmakers approve $162 million to keep food aid flowing amid court fight over SNAP
WINDOW ROCK
New Mexico lawmakers met for a three-hour special session Monday and approved $162 million in emergency funds to keep food assistance flowing if the federal government continues to block Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program payments.
The money, drawn from the New Mexico Health Care Authority, will allow the state to continue loading benefits onto electronic cards for residents who depend on SNAP – roughly 460,000 people, including children, working families, elders and people with disabilities.
“SNAP is a lifeline for over 460,000 New Mexicans,” said Senate Majority Leader Peter Wirth of Santa Fe. “Protecting full access to food assistance benefits is both a moral necessity and smart economic policy, and I’m proud the legislature came together today to see that these benefits will not lapse regardless of what happens in Washington, D.C.”
The decision follows a federal shutdown and the Trump administration’s refusal to release SNAP funds – a break from prior practice during earlier shutdowns. Lawmakers said the state’s quick action will prevent families from going hungry while the courts and Congress sort out the funding dispute.
House Bill 1 directs the state to provide the stopgap aid only until the federal government resumes its legal responsibility. Once federal funds restart, the state money will revert automatically. The measure also includes $30 million to refill the governor’s Appropriation Contingency Fund, which was used earlier to issue emergency food payments through the first 10 days of November.
“The SNAP program is not only the nation’s largest and most effective anti-hunger program, it allows struggling Americans to shop for their own groceries and feed their families with the dignity they deserve,” said Senate President Pro Tem Mimi Stewart of Albuquerque. “As families who rely on this program face tremendous fear and uncertainty, our state is going to step up once again to make sure New Mexicans have what they need.”
The move came as a federal judge in Massachusetts blocked the U.S. Department of Agriculture from punishing states that issued full November food benefits, calling the agency’s conduct “vindictive” amid ongoing multistate litigation. Judge Indira Talwani said the USDA’s shifting directives had placed states in a “continual state of whiplash” as they tried to follow conflicting orders from Washington. Her ruling prevents the federal government from clawing back SNAP payments already distributed to families.
Federal judges in both Massachusetts and Rhode Island have ordered the USDA to continue funding the program while broader questions over shutdown spending are resolved. State officials said those rulings reinforced their decision to act quickly in case federal funding stalls again.
“Amid all the continued chaos from this White House and dysfunction from Congressional Republicans, New Mexico has a steady hand on the wheel,” said House Majority Leader Reena Szczepanski of Santa Fe. “Restaurants, grocery stores, food banks, neighbors, and state leaders have banded together to help New Mexicans keep food on the table.”
If federal dollars are cut off again, state funding authorized under HB 1 will be issued weekly until Washington restores SNAP or until the regular legislative session convenes Jan. 20, 2026. House Speaker Javier Martinez of Albuquerque said nearly half a million residents are worried about their next meal because of the federal standoff.
“Once again, our state is coming together to deliver the critical services New Mexicans cannot live without,” he said.
It was the second special session of 2025. In October, lawmakers approved $17 million to offset rising health-insurance costs, $30 million for food programs, and $50 million for rural health providers strained by federal budget cuts.
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