The Trump administration has been ordered to pay for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance for some 42 million Americans after the federal government announced funds would dry up Saturday due to the federal government shutdown. In New Mexico, according to the state’s Healthcare Authority, 460,000 New Mexicans depend on SNAP.
New Mexico has the highest SNAP participation rate in the country with 21% of the state's population relying on the program, according to Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham.
28.1% of Doña Ana County residents including children, veterans, and the elderly receive this help every month. Jasmin Jaquez is a mom to a 7-year-old boy, and a SNAP recipient.
“It's going to be very scary for us parents. With the SNAP assistance, I mean, being a full-time student that's a really big help for us in order to be able to continue our education,” Jaquez said.
She described the tough decisions she will have to make.
“I mean, it will make me have to make decisions as in, dropping some classes or even drop out of school so I can get a job in order to feed my son and myself,” Jaquez said.
Jaquez shared that she wants to continue her education to make a better future for her and her son.
“We are trying to survive. I mean, myself, I am trying to get educated in order to not need this assistance. This assistance is just temporary while we make it happen,” Jaquez said.
Last week, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced $30 million of funding to cover SNAP benefits.
“This state is the first state to acknowledge that we’re going to choose feeding families over politics,” Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said at a press conference.
The New Mexico Health Care Authority helps New Mexicans apply for benefits like SNAP and has been working alongside state leaders to get funding. New Mexico Health Care Authority Cabinet Secretary, Kari Armijo, shared some thoughts.
“I think we can all agree that the most vulnerable people of our state don’t deserve to be caught in the middle of a political crisis,” Armijo said.
The state funding has already started to go out onto peoples EBT cards, according to Armijo. But it will only last10 days.
“So, we're loading it up the same way. So, they really wouldn't see a difference. The only difference is going to be that it will be about 30% of what they would normally see,” Armijo said.
Benefits in New Mexico cost about 80 to 85 million dollars per month. It would be very hard for any state, including New Mexico, to be able to fully cover this cost, according to Armijo.
“We are going to be working really hard over the next 10 days to come up with some contingency plans for what to do if this shutdown continues. To keep those benefits going out to New Mexicans,” Armijo said.
Casa de Peregrinos operates food banks across Doña Ana County. Executive director Lorenzo Alba, Jr. shared the impact these delays are expected to have on food banks.
“It's going to be taxing on us. I think everyone is trying to be prepared,” Alba said.
They typically see about 4,420 people per month. In the past couple of weeks, they are starting to see more people come in.
“They’ve already began to come in. I think a lot of them out of fear, but it’s also allowed us time for us to plan and see how it’s really going to be. That's just a large amount that are going to be affected by it. And that's only the people that we know are going to be affected that are already signed up for it. But what about those that haven't qualified yet or haven't applied yet? We need to keep them in mind. And then if you add on top of that the laid off workers and the furloughed workers. It's going to be tremendous what happens to us,” Alba said.
Alba maintains a hopeful spirit, saying that the community always comes together to help out during tough times.
“We’re hoping that the community just lifts us up again, and I think it’s beginning to happen little by little. We’re going to need volunteers; we’re going to need donations whether it’s food or whether it’s cash. I’ll tell you right now; cash just goes - monetary donations, just go much further than food donations,” Alba said.
“New Mexicans shouldn't panic. New Mexico's got their back,” Armijo said.
New Mexico was one of the 25 states which sued the U.S. Department of Agriculture over SNAP funding. On Friday, U.S. District Judge John McConnell ordered the Trump Administration to pay out SNAP benefits out of contingency funds.
KRWG Public Media will continue to follow this story as it develops.
