Haaland Defines Vision to Ensure New Mexicans Can Afford to Put Food on the Table at Gubernatorial Forum

ALBUQUERQUE, NM – On Friday evening, Deb Haaland, candidate for New Mexico governor, participated in Roadrunner Foodbank’s gubernatorial forum geared at addressing food insecurity. According to Roadrunner Foodbank, 1 in 6 New Mexicans face food insecurity, and the state has one of the highest rates of children who do not have consistent access to food. 

During the forum, Haaland defined her vision to lower the cost of food by connecting New Mexico agriculture with grocers while protecting the benefits and services that help families in New Mexico put food on the table. Haaland took aim at the Trump administration’s changes to SNAP and Medicaid that would burden New Mexicans with arbitrary eligibility requirements and put more strain on the state workers who deliver those benefits. 

“Every New Mexican deserves to know where their next meal will come from, but right now with increased prices of everything from gas to healthcare, families are making tough choices, and it increases the need for resources like Roadrunner Foodbank,” said Haaland. “As governor, I will work with our farmers and ranchers to bolster jobs in agriculture while lowering the costs of food in our state, and I will fill in the gaps as President Trump takes away important resources New Mexicans need to get by.”

Haaland’s affordability plan aims to lower the cost of groceries and make food more accessible for New Mexico families including plans to: 

  • Reduce grocery costs. Work with the state Department of Agriculture to support local growers and grocers. Explore waiving the permit fee for local grocers in rural communities that target food deserts, similar to the City of Albuquerque’s model.
  • Ensure every New Mexican has access to healthy food. Defend SNAP and food assistance programs from federal cuts, using state resources to supplement federal programs and keep families fed. 
  • Expand Double Bucks. Build on the state’s investments in the Regional Farm to Food Bank program and Double Up Food Bucks by expanding their reach and making them permanent, so that local farmers and food-insecure families are both better supported.
  • Address food deserts. Invest in bringing grocery stores, food co-ops, and farmers markets to Tribal lands, rural communities, and colonias that lack reliable access to fresh food. 
  • Strengthen free school meals. Protect and strengthen access to free school meals so no child goes hungry at school. 
  • Deliver Nutritious Meals. Pilot medically tailored meal delivery for New Mexicans with diet-sensitive chronic conditions—including people with diabetes, patients managing serious illness, and seniors—building on the evidence that targeted nutrition support improves health outcomes and cuts healthcare costs over the long run.
  • Create the New Mexico Affordability Navigator. Launch a multilingual calculator that allows New Mexicans to enter income and other basic information so they can easily see which programs, tax credits, and other supports they’re eligible for. A report found that many families who are eligible for benefits are probably not accessing them. The navigator will provide a plan with estimated dollar values, clear next steps, and streamlined applications. This will be paired with robust community outreach for New Mexicans who lack reliable internet access.
  • Give New Mexicans a raise. Raise the minimum wage to a living wage. This should not be a one-time increase, but rather an ongoing adjustment with inflation so New Mexicans don’t get buried by increasing prices.
  • Increase the Child Tax Credit. The costs of raising children are among the biggest expenses that New Mexicans face, and they are only increasing. Families have to support their kids well beyond high school due to economic instability and a decrease in entry-level job hiring. Increase the amount of the Child Tax Credit and expand eligibility to help families adapt to this need. 
  • Expand the Working Families Tax Credit. Put more money back into working New Mexicans’ pockets by increasing New Mexico’s refundable tax credit for low and moderate-income workers and expanding eligibility to help New Mexicans keep up with rising costs due to inflation.