Nation

Robinson: New Mexico Reckons With Economic Impact Of Federal Job Cuts

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By SHERRY ROBINSON
All She Wrote
© 2026 New Mexico News Services

A recent headline tells us that New Mexico lost 2,700 federal jobs between March 2025 and March 2026. It’s actually worse than that.

Late last year the number of unemployed federal employees hit 2,900 and stayed at that level for months, pushing up our unemployment rate.

I spent years at newspapers where we reported – and lamented – the loss of even 100 jobs in this state. These numbers are breathtaking on a lot of levels.

First, about one in 20 jobs in New Mexico is, or was, in the federal government. A dollar spent by a federal employee has Read More

JROMC’s 53rd Oppenheimer Memorial Lecture To Feature Internationally Known Space Scientist Dr. Dante S. Lauretta

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OSIRIS-REx launches from Cape Canaveral. Courtesy/United Launch Alliance

JROMC News:

The J. Robert Oppenheimer Memorial Committee (JROMC) announces its 53rd Annual Public Lecture is 7 p.m. Monday, June 22, at Duane Smith Auditorium in Los Alamos.

In this free lecture, “Origins of Our Solar System: The NASA OSIRIS-REx Mission,” Dr. Dante S. Lauretta will discuss his work as the Principal Investigator of NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission. 

OSIRIS-REx, a robotic spacecraft, traveled to near-Earth asteroid Bennu to collect and study carbon-based compounds that date from the very earliest times Read More

Bill Led By Leger Fernández To Strengthen Public Safety In Indian Country Advances In Natural Resources Committee

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U.S. Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández

From the Office of U.S. Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández:

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Indian and Insular Affairs held a hearing Thursday on the bipartisan Bridging Agency Data Gaps & Ensuring Safety (BADGES) for Native Communities Act, legislation led by U.S. Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández (D-NM) alongside representatives Dan Newhouse (R-WA) and Sharice Davids (D-KS) to strengthen public safety in Indian Country, improve coordination in missing persons investigations, and support the recruitment and retention of Bureau Read More

BLM Seeks Initial Input For November 2026 Sale Of Oil And Gas Leases In New Mexico, Kansas, Oklahoma And Texas

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BLM News:

SANTA FE — The Bureau of Land Management today opened a 30-day public scoping period to receive public input on 53 oil and gas parcels totaling 13,453 acres that may be included in a November 2026 lease sale in Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas. The scoping period ends June 22, 2026.

Leasing is the first step in the process to develop federal oil and gas resources. Before development operations can begin, an operator must submit an application for permit to drill detailing development plans. The BLM reviews applications for permits to drill, posts them for public review, conducts Read More

Honoring The Fallen This Memorial Day 2026

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Today marks Memorial Day, which honors the men and women who died while serving in the U.S. military. Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images/history.com

Memorial Day 2026
history.com

Today marks Memorial Day 2026, a federal holiday that celebrates and honors the men and women who died while serving in the U.S. military. Observed every year on the last Monday of May, Memorial Day was originally called Decoration Day in a nod to the tradition of placing flowers or other decorative displays at gravesites.

The origins of Memorial Day date back to the Civil War, which claimed the lives of some 620,000 Read More

Free Admission To National Parks On Memorial Day

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A field of Rocky Mountain iris in Valle Grande. Photo by Alex Arnold/NPS

VCNP News:

In honor of Memorial Day, all National Park Service sites that charge an entrance fee, including Valles Caldera National Preserve (VCNP), will offer free admission to U.S. citizens and residents on Monday, May 25.

Mark your calendar for these additional fee-free dates in 2026:

  • June 14: Flag Day
  • July 3-5: Independence Day weekend
  • Aug. 25: 110th Birthday of the National Park Service
  • Sept. 17: Constitution Day
  • Oct. 27: Theodore Roosevelt’s birthday
  • Nov. 11: Veterans Day
Read More

Leger Fernández Landmark Bill To Protect Historic Land Grant Communities And Traditional Uses On Federal Lands Advances In House

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Congresswoman Teresa Leger Fernández

U.S. CONGRESS News:

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congresswoman Teresa Leger Fernández secured a major legislative hearing in the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Federal Lands for her bill to strengthen the relationships between New Mexico land grant-mercedes and the federal government and protect their ability to practice centuries-old traditional uses on federal land. Rep. Leger Fernández and U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) introduced the New Mexico Land Grant-Mercedes Historical or Traditional Use Cooperation and Coordination Act (H.R. 2785) Read More

Unemployment Insurance Operations Center To Close Monday In Observance Of Memorial Day

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NMDWS News:

ALBUQUERQUE — All New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions (NMDWS) offices, including the Unemployment Insurance Operations Center, will be closed Monday, May 25, in observance of Memorial Day.

The Unemployment Insurance Tax & Claims System (www.jobs.state.nm.us) is available online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Customer Service Agents in the Unemployment Insurance Operations Center will be available when business hours resume at 8 a.m., Tuesday, May 26. The business hours of the Unemployment Insurance (UI) Operations Center are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Read More

Luján, Leger Fernández, Hayes Reintroduce Legislation To Address Educator Shortages, Expand Federal Loan Forgiveness For Educators

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U.S. SENATE News: 

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), U.S. Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández (D-N.M.), and U.S. Rep. Jahana Hayes (D-Conn.) reintroduced the Loan Forgiveness for Educators Act, legislation that would expand and modernize the federal loan forgiveness program for educators. This legislation would help address educator shortages and increase children’s access to a diverse and well-prepared educator workforce by strengthening the federal Teacher Loan Forgiveness (TLF) Program.

High college costs and student loan debt impact recruitment, retention, and Read More

Heinrich, Luján Introduce Legislation To Improve Access To Healthcare & Keep Rural Hospitals Open

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U.S. SENATE News:

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Sens. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) introduced the Rural Community Hospital Demonstration Reauthorization Act, bipartisan legislation to improve New Mexicans’ access to healthcare and keep rural hospitals open by extending the Rural Community Hospital Demonstration (RCHD) program for another five years.

Many small rural hospitals are too large to qualify for Critical Access Hospital status, but still struggle to stay open under Medicare’s current payment system. The Rural Community Hospital Demonstration program Read More