Politics

Los Alamos County Council Budget Hearings Begin Monday

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Council members from left, David Reagor, Vice Chair Ryn Herrmann, Beverly Neal-Clinton, Melanee Hand, Chair Randall Ryti, Suzie Havemann and Teresa Cull. Courtesy/LAC

COUNTY News:

Los Alamos County Council’s Budget Hearings begin at 6 p.m. Monday and may run through Wednesday in Council Chambers at the Mhunicipal Building, 1000 Central Ave.

The hearing is open to the public. A Zoom option is offered for remote participation: Zoom Link. 

View the agendas for the Budget Hearings at lacnm.com/agenda and use the eComments tool to provide public comment.

Agendas are posted 72 hours before Read More

Semi-Open Primaries Debut This Election Year

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Los Alamos County Clerk Michael Redondo certifies voting machines Tuesday at the Municipal Building in preparation for the June 2 Primary Election. This year’s primary election will be different from previous ones because the state legislature passed a bill allowing unaffiliated voters to participate in the primary without changing their voter registration. A third party observed the certification process, Carmen Lopez from Observe New Mexico Elections. Lopez explained that observing the certification process is important because it helps people learn how elections work and helps Read More

Senator Luján Addresses Push To Fund ICE & CBP

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U.S. SENATE News:

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), a member of the Senate Budget Committee, issued the following statement after Senate Republicans passed a partisan budget resolution that pours up to $140 billion into ICE and Border Patrol without any accountability while doing nothing to lower costs for American families:

“At a time when high prices squeeze New Mexicans at every turn, my Republican colleagues should focus on lowering costs for American families. Instead, they are advancing a partisan bill that hands up to $140 billion to ICE and CBP with no reforms, accountability, Read More

Representatives Dow, Pettigrew Call For Review Of Sole Source Contracts

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STATE News:

SANTA FE — House Republican Caucus Chair Rebecca Dow (R- Truth or Consequences) and Rep. Randall T. Pettigrew (R- Lea County) are urging the State Purchasing Division within the General Services Department to review a growing number of sole source contracts across state government.

A sole source contract allows an agency to award a contract without a competitive bidding process when only one vendor is deemed able to provide the service.

In a joint letter, the lawmakers warned that agencies are bypassing standard procurement rules meant to protect taxpayers and ensure fair competition. Read More

NMED Issues Draft Waste Isolation Pilot Plant Permit

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NMED News:

SANTA FE — The New Mexico Environment Department today proposed revisions to the U.S. Department of Energy’s Waste Isolation Pilot Plant hazardous waste operating permit, strengthening enforcement of federal cleanup obligations for legacy waste stored at federal facilities across the country.

The proposed permit modifications codify commitments the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) made in its 2023 settlement agreement with New Mexico. Under that agreement, DOE committed to prioritizing disposal of legacy waste in a new underground disposal unit at the Waste Isolation Pilot Read More

Luján Presses Secretary Kennedy On Cuts To Medicaid, Demands Answers On HHS Employment David Geier

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Sen. Luján on MSNOW Discussing Secretary Kennedy’s policies. Courtesy photo

U.S. SENATE News:

WASHINGTON, D.C. — During a Senate Finance Committee hearing, U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) pressed U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. on his policies that are endangering the health of the American people.

Specifically, Sen. Luján pressed Secretary Kennedy on deep Republican cuts to Medicaid, Secretary Kennedy’s long history of pushing vaccine misinformation, and the employment of David Geier, an anti-vaccine activist, at the Department Read More

Rep. Vasquez’s Downwinder Commemoration Act Advances To House Floor With Unanimous, Bipartisan Support

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U.S. Rep. Gabe Vasquez

STATE News:

WASHINGTON, D.C.— April 21, 2026, U.S. Rep. Gabe Vasquez (NM-02) announced that his Downwinder Commemoration Act unanimously passed out of the House Natural Resources Committee, marking a major bipartisan step toward establishing a permanent monument honoring New Mexico’s Downwinders at White Sands National Park. The park receives over 700,000 visitors a year and sits less than 100 miles from the site of the Trinity Test.  

This win builds on Rep. Vasquez’s success in passing the Downwinder Commemoration Act into law through the FY26 National Defense Read More

Rep. Gabe Vasquez Speaks Out Against Cuts To USFS

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Rep. Gabe Vasquez speaks to the House of Representatives, April 21. Courtesy photo

U.S. HOUSE News:

WASHINGTON, D.C. — On April 21, 2026, U.S. Rep. Gabe Vasquez (NM-02) delivered a speech on the House floor condemning the Administration’s decision to gut the U.S. Forest Service (USFS), citing concerns about increased wildfire risks and threats to public lands just ahead of Earth Day. 

“I’m a hunter, I’m an angler, and someone who spends a lot of time in my national forests. I know my supervisors, my district rangers, and even the volunteer crews. And as the co-founder of the bipartisan Public Read More

Dukes Up Presents: The Debate Games To Feature Gubernatorial Candidates Sam Bregman & Deb Haaland

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NMPBS News:

The charitable organization Dukes Up will present The Debate Games featuring Sam Bregman and Deb Haaland, a gubernatorial Democratic primary debate, at 7 p.m. on Thursday, May 7, on NMPBS Ch. 5.1, and 9 p.m. on Friday, May 8, on Ch 5.4. The program will also stream free on the PBS app and NMPBS YouTube channel at the time of initial broadcast.

To be filmed 6 p.m. on Saturday, May 2, at CNM’s Smith Brasher Auditorium in Albuquerque, the event will feature New Mexico’s Democratic candidates for governor, former U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland and Bernalillo County District Attorney Read More

New Mexico Supreme Court’s Unanimous Decision Places Republican Rep. Rebecca Dow Back On Ballot

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Rep. Rebecca Dow, R–Doña Ana, Sierra & Socorro

RPNW News:

SANTA FE –  The Republican Party of New Mexico (RPNM) issued the following announcement this morning on the New Mexico Supreme Court’s unanimous decision in Republican candidate Rep. Rebecca Dow’s ballot access case:

“The New Mexico Supreme Court’s unanimous decision to place Rebecca Dow back on the ballot is a victory for fairness, election integrity, and the rule of law.” RPNM Chairwoman Amy Barela said. “After the partisan ruling from the Doña Ana County judge, the Supreme Court recognized the truth: the system is flawed, and Read More