Local unions, progressive organizations draw thousands in Albuquerque for this Labor Day protest
—Noah Alcala Bach, Albuquerque Journal
On Monday morning, thousands marched through Downtown Albuquerque, voicing their opposition to President Donald Trump at the “Workers over Billionaires” protest.
“We are the true patriots standing out here fighting for this country,” Eithne Johnson, a protester in attendance, said.
The local protest was in line with hundreds of others across the country, which were led by unions and other progressive organizations.
“It’s a travesty of democracy and justice. Everything that they’re (the Trump administration) doing is just antithetical to what the United States should be standing for,” Eric Schaefer, another protester, said.
The local teamsters, communications, teachers, graduate workers and trade unions, the Party for Socialism and Liberation, the Democratic Socialists of America and the Southwestern Coalition for Palestine were among the organizers of the Albuquerque demonstration.
“I think a lot of times, people think that Labor Day is a day that they get to spend time at home, right with their families,” Sarah Hager, membership and involvement vice president for the Albuquerque Teachers Federation, said. “But I walked behind a family today with four little girls, and I just thought, what a wonderful way to spend time with your family.”
According to a joint social media post from ATF and other organizers, over 6,000 people attended the protest. The New Mexico Republican Party did not provide comment.
For its part, the White House put out a proclamation ahead of the weekend, signed Thursday by Trump, that pledged “to protect American jobs and defend the dignity of American labor.”
“Tragically, in recent decades, a corrupt political class allowed our manufacturing base to decline,” The proclamation reads. “Our jobs were shipped to distant shores, our industries decimated, and our communities weakened, all while building up foreign competitors at the expense of American workers and families.”
New Mexico health officials sign order to 'ensure access' to COVID vaccines, despite pending federal approval - Matthew Reisen, Albuquerque Journal
The state Department of Health on Saturday issued a public health order to “remove barriers and ensure access to COVID-19 vaccines at pharmacies across the state.”
One of the biggest apparent barriers is a federal advisory group that lists New Mexico as one of three states that requires approval for vaccine distribution from pharmacies.
But DOH spokesperson Robert Nott said Saturday the department would work with the state’s Board of Pharmacy “to amend the regulations where (the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices) recommendations are required for pharmacists to administer the vaccine.”
On Friday, a CVS spokesperson said they could not offer the newest COVID vaccines without approval from ACIP, an advisory board which recommends vaccine policy to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director, who was recently fired and replaced.
An Albuquerque Walgreens told a Journal reporter Friday that anyone wanting the new COVID vaccine will need a prescription.
In a news release Saturday, state DOH officials said the department would work with New Mexico’s Board of Pharmacy to remove barriers to getting vaccines at pharmacies.
The DOH release stated that ACIP “has yet to convene and act on the matter.”
“It’s important for New Mexicans to know the New Mexico Department of Health is committed to keeping residents safe as we enter the 2025-2026 respiratory virus season,” state Health Secretary Gina DeBlassie said in a statement. “This order will remove obstacles to vaccination access.”
There were four new COVID vaccine formulations approved by the Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday, but the release states “with a narrower range than prior seasons.”
The updated vaccines are for adults 65 and older across the board, but anyone younger will be required to have a condition, like asthma or obesity, “that puts them at high risk for severe outcomes from COVID-19.”
Previously, U.S. policy stated annual COVID shots were recommended for all Americans 6 months and older — no matter age or condition.
The FDA also removed the availability of the Pfizer vaccine for children under 5, although the Moderna vaccine is available to children as young as 6 months, but only those with an underlying condition.
The news release from DOH said the department expected the new COVID vaccines to start arriving in New Mexico “within the next few weeks.” Where and how they will be available was less clear in the release.
In the public health order, dated Friday, DeBlassie directed the department “to collaborate with” the state BOP “to amend regulations to remove barriers and ensure access to COVID-19 vaccines.”
Governor's deluge of executive orders making some legislators wary - Dan Boyd, Albuquerque Journal
SANTA FE — As she approaches her final year in office, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham is flexing her authority to issue executive orders at an unprecedented clip.
The governor has issued 362 orders so far this year that, combined, authorize more than $253 million in emergency spending, according to the Governor’s Office. This number exceeds the number of orders issued during Lujan Grisham’s entire first term in office, which spanned from 2019 through 2022.
More than half of the orders are targeted at recovery efforts from destructive wildfires and subsequent flooding in the Ruidoso area. Others are focused on providing state-level assistance to law enforcement agencies in the Albuquerque and Española areas.
The spike in emergency orders — and their accompanying price tag — has drawn the attention of some legislators, who say they allow the Lujan Grisham administration to largely circumvent New Mexico’s procurement code.
Rep. Rebecca Dow, R-Truth or Consequences, said the large number of executive orders also makes it difficult for the Legislature to track the flow of state dollars, as each order authorizes up to $750,000 in emergency spending.
“We have two jobs — lawmaking and appropriating,” Dow told the Journal. “We are delegating the appropriating authority to the executive branch.”
Dow, who raised the issue of the governor’s executive order spree during a recent legislative hearing, also pointed out Lujan Grisham typically controls a certain percentage of spending in the state’s annual capital outlay bill for infrastructure project funding.
Lawmakers proposed legislation during this year’s 60-day legislative session that would have essentially eliminated the need for emergency orders dealing with wildfires by creating two new state funds.
But the governor vetoed the bill, which passed both legislative chambers without a single “no” vote, saying in her veto message lawmakers didn’t provide adequate start-up funding.
Lujan Grisham did leave the door open to a possible legislative fix in 2026, however, saying, “I fully support a revamped process to fund both pre- and post-wildfire maintenance.”
The Democratic governor said Friday that executive orders are “essential tools” that allow her to act quickly when the Legislature is not in session.
“Effective orders don’t replace legislative work — they support and enhance it by ensuring productive and efficient implementation of our shared priorities,” Lujan Grisham said in a statement.
“When federal resources are delayed and local governments need immediate support to move the needle on critical issues, executive action isn’t just useful — it’s unconscionable not to act,” she added.
HOW THE EXECUTIVE ORDERS WORK
There is no limit in state law as to how many executive orders a governor can issue.
But the governor’s authority to set policy and authorize emergency funding by issuing executive orders became a political flashpoint during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Specifically, lawmakers launched an inquiry into whether Lujan Grisham exceeded her authority by authorizing more than $30 million in emergency spending via executive order to address pandemic-related issues, but no court challenge on the issue was ultimately filed.
In addition, past attempts to curb the governor’s authority by requiring legislative approval to extend emergency public health orders beyond 45 days were ultimately thwarted by the Democratic-controlled Legislature after the governor vowed to veto any such bills.
The money authorized by the issuance of an executive order comes from one of two different state reserve funds, according to legislative analysts. The reserve funds typically serve as a buffer of sorts in case projected revenue levels do not materialize.
Meanwhile, some of this year’s executive orders were technically issued by Lt. Gov. Howie Morales, who issued more than 30 orders as acting governor while Lujan Grisham was on a trade mission to Asia in April.
Those orders, which were issued in consultation with the Governor’s Office, were among the more than 190 orders focused on recovery efforts from flooding and wildfires that occurred last year in the Ruidoso and Roswell areas.
POSSIBLE CHANGES ON THE HORIZON
Rep. Nathan Small, D-Las Cruces, who sponsored the vetoed wildfire fund legislation, said the bill would have been a step in the right direction toward New Mexico being more proactive in its natural disaster response efforts.
The state typically has to pay for recovery efforts in damaged areas up front, then wait for reimbursement from federal agencies in a process that can take years.
Small, the chairman of the House Appropriations and Finance Committee, also said updating the state’s system for responding to wildfires and floods will be a priority in the coming legislative sessions.
“Legislative collaboration and oversight, especially for the large amounts of public funding we’ve seen distributed in recent months, is very important,” Small told the Journal.
But with her time left in office running short, don’t expect Lujan Grisham to stop issuing executive orders anytime soon.
The governor, who is barred under the state Constitution from seeking a third consecutive term next year, indicated the orders will likely keep coming as long as she sees the need for them.
“These orders, issued responsibly and within legal authority, ensure that state government remains agile, responsive and accountable to the people we serve,” said Lujan Grisham.