March 14, 2022
Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham has made transformative changes that will spur economic growth, educational attainment, and the health and wellbeing of families. By putting money in the pockets of New Mexicans, her actions promise to reduce the pain of rising gas prices and overall inflation.
But if you could win a prize for being dishonest, mean-spirited, and thwarting the will of New Mexicans, the blue ribbon would go, hands down, to the state GOP. Republicans shed crocodile tears over rising prices and other economic and educational challenges faced by our state. Yet their fervent opposition to Gov. Lujan Grisham’s measures to improve the lives of New Mexicans reveals their total lack of sincerity. Their failure to offer constructive alternatives is further evidence of their duplicity.
Gov. Lujan Grisham knows that concrete measures to put money in the pockets of New Mexicans will alleviate the hardship of rising prices. That is why she has cut taxes for more than half a million New Mexico families, including social security taxes and the Gross Receipts Tax. That is also why she is raising the minimum wage and taking steps to help New Mexicans afford their utility bills.
Gov. Lujan Grisham knows that New Mexico will prosper when children thrive. That is why she has signed legislation providing $74 million to families to help cover childcare costs and children’s basic needs. These funds will not only help reduce poverty and give children a better start in life, but they will also allow women to return to the workforce and help the economy grow.
Gov. Lujan Grisham knows that the future of our state’s economy and its residents depends on a highly educated and trained workforce that is not saddled with debilitating college debt. That is why she has implemented universal pre-kindergarten and ensured that every state resident has access to a free college education. That is also why she is seeking to significantly increase funding for early childhood education through passage of a constitutional amendment that will be on November’s ballot.
Gov. Lujan Grisham knows that New Mexicans prosper when they are healthy. That is why she has lowered the cost of prescription drugs, capped the price of insulin, allowed the import of cheaper prescription drugs from Canada, and waived copays for behavioral health care. That is also why she is working tirelessly to rebuild the behavioral health care system, which was destroyed by New Mexico’s previous Republican governor, Susana Martinez.
New Mexico’s GOP knows that governors can do little to control prices at the pump. They also know that governors can take steps to alleviate the impacts of inflation, but they have chosen obstruction. The pandemic and now war are inflicting immense pain on many New Mexicans. We are fortunate to have a smart, compassionate governor who is taking bold steps to improve all our lives.
Alexandria Piland, Chair,
Democratic Party of Sandoval County