DOGE

For the first time in years, overdose deaths have been declining recently after reaching a peak of about 111,000 in 2022. However, advocates are worried about a backslide on that progress as federal grants are lost, and agencies like the the National Institutes of Health are crippled by drastic funding cuts.

U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-NM) spoke with Nash Jones on New Mexico in Focus about what these drastic cuts mean for New Mexico.

The New Mexico Department of Justice has released an interactive map showing some of the impacts of federal funding cuts. The map was added to the federal disruptions tracker the NMDOJ launched last month.

New Mexico Healthcare Authority Secretary Kari Armijo, President of the New Mexico Hospital Association Troy Clark, and Dr. Nancy Wright, a pediatrician in Las Vegas discuss the impacts of potential Medicaid cuts in New Mexico.

As Elon Musk’s DOGE group and the Trump administration continue to slash federal spending, the New Mexico Humanities Council, which provides support for and directly runs programs that enrich and preserve culture and the arts, might have to close its doors after the termination of federal grants.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced Thursday 20,000 job cuts, about a quarter of its workforce, and the withdrawal of $12 billion in grants. It’s all part of efforts by Elon Musk’s DOGE group and the Trump Administration to slash federal spending. That’s left state departments of health, and both private and public agencies across the country — and here in New Mexico — reeling.

On March 26, the CEOs of NPR and PBS will testify at a House subcommittee in a hearing dubbed “Anti-American Airwaves: Holding the heads of NPR and PBS Accountable.” Franz Joachim, general manager of New Mexico PBS, spoke to KUNM about his recent trip to Washington, D.C. as part of America’s Public Television Stations.

As President Trump entered the chamber to address a joint session of Congress Tuesday, New Mexico U.S. Rep. Melanie Stansbury stood behind him with a sign that read, “This is not normal.”

A week ago, on orders from the Trump administration, federal officials began firing thousands of employees at agencies including the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Department of Energy, the National Park Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the U.S. Forest Service, which is part of USDA. Searchlight spoke to three New Mexicans who were fired.

U.S. Rep. Melanie Stansbury, the ranking member of the House DOGE Subcommittee, told KUNM’s Let’s Talk New Mexico Thursday that she has heard from many New Mexicans who have lost their jobs and is reminding them that they have rights.