On September 4, after two months of speculation and hinting that she would call the New Mexico legislature into Special Session, Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham announced by press release that she has called lawmakers back to the capital starting October 1 for a special session. The Special Session will be focused on a state-level response to federal spending reductions to Medicaid and food assistance programs.
Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham began suggesting the possibility of a special session even before July 4, when President Donald Trump signed H.R.1, the so-called “One Big Beautiful Bill Act.” Trump’s spending bill that contains significant cuts to New Mexico’s Medicaid and nutrition programs.
Following is the press release:
“As deep federal budget cuts threaten to compound the challenges facing New Mexico communities, Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham announced … that she will call lawmakers into a special session starting Oct. 1 to find solutions and mitigate harm.
“New Mexicans should not be forced to shoulder these heavy burdens without help from their elected officials,” Lujan Grisham said. “After discussions with legislative leaders, we’ve resolved to do everything possible to protect essential services and minimize the damage from President Trump’s disastrous bill.”
Lawmakers plan to consider a package of measures that could include:
Funding to the Rural Health Care Delivery Fund to allow stabilization grants for quality health care providers.
- Taking action to make health insurance premiums more affordable in the marketplace and for New Mexicans losing Medicaid coverage.
- New investments in food assistance for children, seniors and families in need.
- Funding for public broadcasting.
- Additional resources to help the Health Care Authority prepare for upcoming Medicaid enrollment changes.
H.R.1, which Trump signed into law on July 4, will reduce state revenues, and force the state to spend more by shifting costs from the federal government to the states. The reduction in federal Medicaid and SNAP funds alone will result in multi-billion-dollar losses annually that threaten household budgets and the survival of New Mexico’s health care system, particularly in rural areas.
“New Mexico cannot stand by while Washington’s reckless budget cuts inflict generational harm on families and communities across the state,” Senate Majority Leader Peter Wirth said. “A special session is essential to protect our rural healthcare providers, safeguard Medicaid coverage, and ensure that New Mexicans don’t bear the burden of federal failures.”
“New Mexico is not going to allow Trump and the radical right to take food off your table or kick your family off your healthcare plan,” Speaker of the House Javier Martínez said. “We have been hard at work evaluating how this federal budget will impact New Mexico and how we can best fight back. Now, we’re ready to roll up our sleeves to protect access to the services you and your families need most.”
The governor is also in discussions with the legislature to address behavioral health challenges that affect our criminal justice system and community safety in the special session and the upcoming 30-day session.”
The link to the press release is here:
https://www.governor.state.nm.us/2025/09/04/governor-announces-special-session-to-begin-oct-1/
Special sessions are limited to no longer than 30 days under the state Constitution. The October 2025 session will be the seventh special session of the legislature called by Governor Lujan Grisham. According to the Legislative Council Service and going back to 2020, the average daily cost of a special session is $57,000. Last year’s single-day special session cost $92,883. That figure includes compensation for necessary session staffers. No one can say for certain how long the October 1 special session will last. Most special sessions called in recent years have ended after a few days.
The October 1 special session will be the first called by Lujan Grisham since a July 2024 session focused on crime-related issues that ended with the Democratic-controlled Legislature adjourning without taking action on most of the governor’s proposed agenda. In an effort to avoid the same fate with the October 1 session, the Governor’s Office top staffers have been meeting with Democratic legislative leaders in recent weeks about a special session spending package that could exceed $400 million. That funding would come from nearly $3.5 billion in unspent money in state reserve funds, as state revenue levels have surged to record-high levels in recent years.
Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” is in fact a large tax reduction package signed into law that trimmed close to $1 trillion from Medicaid, Medicare and subsidies from the Affordable Care Act and $230 billion from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, spending over the next 10 years to pay for the tax reductions. State health officials are warning that Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” he signed in July could lead to more than 90,000 New Mexico residents losing health care coverage and the possible closure of rural hospitals. According to state executive and legislative branch economists the federal budget bill is projected to cost the state an average of $206 million per year over the next five years.
HOT BUTTON CRIME LEGISLATION NOT INCLUDED
While announcing the special session’s start date of October 1, the Governor’s Office confirmed that hot-button legislation dealing with crime will be deferred until the start of the 30-day regular session in January. Bills dealing with juvenile crime and firearm restrictions are expected to be delayed until next year’s 30-day session. The governor’s office says she is in discussions with the Legislature to address behavioral health challenges that affect the criminal justice system and community safety in the special session and during the upcoming 30-day session.
Michael Coleman, the governor’s chief spokesperson, said this:
“Lawmakers can expect a comprehensive list of requests from the governor in the 30-day session specific to public safety, such as juvenile justice, increases to penalties for various firearm crimes, and human trafficking changes, among other items.”
Other legislation expected not to be included in the Special Session is legislation targeting New Mexico’s three federal immigrant detention centers, which generated testy debate during a recent interim committee hearing. The three detention centers run by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement are located in Chaparral, Estancia and Milan.
The governor’s chief general counsel told lawmakers in July that legislation banning New Mexico local governments from entering into contracts with federal agencies to detain immigrants for civil violations could be included in the special session mix.
Rep. Andrea Romero, D-Santa Fe, one of the sponsors of that legislation, said on September 4 there were ongoing discussions about specific bill details. She said she believes there is growing momentum for such legislation. Romero said this:
“I feel like our legislative body is definitely seeing the realities of why we need to address ICE detention in our state.”
Lujan Grisham’s Communication Director Michael Coleman confirmed that legislation to ban Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention would not be on the agenda, a possibility previously mentioned by the governor’s chief counsel that prompted renewed debate on the topic among lawmakers.
REPUBLICANS REACT
Republican lawmakers reacted to the Democrat Governor Lujan Grishams’ calling a special session by criticizing the governor for not including crime-related issues and changes to New Mexico’s child welfare system on the special session agenda.
Senate Republican Leader Bill Sharer issued the following statement in response to the governor’s special session announcement:
“We appreciate any opportunity to provide real solutions for New Mexicans. Just as we did during last year’s failed public safety special session, Republican legislators are prepared to address the pressing issues facing our state. Based on countless conversations with constituents and concerned New Mexicans, our efforts remain focused on restoring the safety of our communities, protecting our state’s vulnerable children, and improving our access to quality health care. Democrats in the legislature have opposed our common-sense proposals to improve public safety, including needed changes to juvenile justice laws and an end to the revolving-door release of repeat violent offenders. Democrats have also refused to hold CYFD accountable for the ongoing abuse and even deaths of children under their care. And, at the urging of their trial attorney friends, Democrats have rejected efforts to reduce medical malpractice costs and to have New Mexico join the interstate medical licensure compact—both actions which would drastically improve health care access in New Mexico. We remain hopeful that Democrat lawmakers will decide to come to the table ready to collaborate on the real issues New Mexicans are concerned about, rather than engage in unproductive political theater.”
Sharer said this in a separate interview:
“It appears to me to be a taxpayer-funded anti-Trump rally. … If we’re going to have a special session and try to solve a problem, then we should try to solve a problem.”
Sharer pointed out most of the federal funding changes to Medicaid and food assistance programs contained in Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” are not scheduled to take effect until 2027 or later showing as he showed no reservations and absolutely no disdain for the cuts that are coming to the state. Republican lawmakers also questioned the extent of the funding cut estimates and cite tax breaks and other provisions in the federal bill that could benefit New Mexico residents.
Leading Republican lawmakers said they still plan to draft bills dealing with criminal penalties, New Mexico’s child welfare system and the state’s medical malpractice system, even if Lujan Grisham does not include the issues on the special session agenda.
House Minority Leader Gail Armstrong, R-Magdalena, described those topics as “real emergencies” facing the state. Armstrong said this:
“New Mexicans deserve a special session that takes these issues seriously — not another round of political theater dictated by the 4th floor of the Roundhouse.”
Links to quoted or relied upon news sources are here:
https://www.koat.com/article/new-mexico-governor-legislative-special-session-2025/65984999
https://www.kob.com/new-mexico/governor-announces-special-session-to-begin-oct-1/
https://www.abqjournal.com/news/article_a8e3e153-84b0-4ac9-8d0c-9c62752e6a6b.html
COMMENTARY AND ANALYSIS
It should come as absolutely no surprise that the Governor is not including any legislation for the special session dealing with crime-related issues. The Governor learned a harsh lesson when she called a special session in July 2024 focused on crime-related issues without a consensus reached before the session with lawmakers and it ended with the Democratic-controlled Legislature adjourning without taking action on any of her proposed agenda. Simply put, unless a clear consensus can be reached on changes to the juvenile justice laws, firearm restrictions and increased criminal penalties, including such measures in a special session would simply be a waste of time.
It is absolutely clear from the Governor’s press release announcing the October 1 Special Session and the comments made by Senate Majority Leader Peter Wirth and New Mexico Speaker of the House Speaker Javier Martínez a strong consensus has been reached on how to deal with the severe budget cuts and damage done by Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” to New Mexico. The October 1 special session is designed to find ways to offset the impact of federal funding cuts passed by Congress and approved by President Trump in July. The goal is to ensure initiatives like the rural health care delivery fund and food assistance programs can continue operating and make sure Medicaid recipients do not lose health coverage.
What Senate Majority Leader Peter Wirth and Speaker of the House Javier Martínez said about the Special Session is worth repeating.
Senate Majority Leader Peter Wirth said this:
“New Mexico cannot stand by while Washington’s reckless budget cuts inflict generational harm on families and communities across the state. …. A special session is essential to protect our rural healthcare providers, safeguard Medicaid coverage, and ensure that New Mexicans don’t bear the burden of federal failures.”
Speaker of the House Javier Martínez said this:
“New Mexico is not going to allow Trump and the radical right to take food off your table or kick your family off your healthcare plan. … We have been hard at work evaluating how this federal budget will impact New Mexico and how we can best fight back. Now, we’re ready to roll up our sleeves to protect access to the services you and your families need most.”
It is downright pathetic and so very typical of New Mexico Republican lawmakers to try and deflect the actual damage being done to the New Mexico by President Trump. Minority Republican Floor Leader Senator Bill Sharer shows just how out of touch he is with the average New Mexican when he says this:
“I’m confused as to why this burning need for a special session, especially when it doesn’t appear there’s anything special needed.”
It’s nauseating that Sharer and his Republican colleagues totally approve of all things Trump and what Trump is doing to the State and its people. To Sharer and New Mexico Republicans there is nothing special needed to protect rural health care delivery, food assistance programs and make sure Medicaid recipients do not lose health coverage until it actually happens and it’s a crisis and even then they may not act.
New Mexico Republican legislators also harp on the need to increase efforts to deal with public safety to reduce crime, especially violent crime, with those efforts usually concentrating on increased penalties and more incarceration and what they refer to as the revolving-door of release of repeat violent offenders. Republicans never acknowledged the need for common sense gun control legislation to reduce the proliferation of guns used to commit violent crimes. The availability and proliferation of guns must be recognized as a big part of the state’s violent crime problem, something Republicans will never understand or they just choose to ignore.
Governor Lujan Grisham and the Senate and House leadership are correct to concentrate during the Special Session on how to deal with the severe budget cuts and damage done by Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” to New Mexico during the Special Session. At this point, there is no need complicate a Special Session with crime legislation that no consensus can be arrived at during what will likely be a short one or two day Special Session.