The media needs to stop saying, “the legislature failed to…” when discussing New Mexico’s persistent challenges—particularly in healthcare and crime. The legislature didn’t fail to pass real reforms to address juvenile crime. It didn’t fail to fix our broken healthcare system. It didn’t fail to tackle New Mexico’s affordability crisis.
Yes, there were significant failures during this past legislative session—but it wasn’t the legislature that failed. It was progressive Democrat legislators who control the New Mexico House and Senate.
It’s increasingly frustrating to hear the media repeatedly ask, “Why didn’t the legislature do this or that?” as if the answer is some great mystery. It’s not. In fact, pretending we don’t know the answer has become an insult to the intelligence of New Mexicans.
Before the 60-day session began, my fellow House Republicans and I set out not just to focus on the issues that go unresolved year after year, but to approach them with common-sense solutions that could garner broad support.
That meant closing prosecutorial loopholes that allow violent juveniles to avoid real consequences. It meant bringing our out-of-control medical malpractice laws in line with industry standards to help stop the loss of healthcare providers. It meant returning a portion of our massive oil and gas revenues back to the people, so families have more money in their pockets.
These aren’t radical ideas dreamt up in some Washington think tank. These are the concerns we hear from friends, neighbors, town halls, and community meetings across the state. The solutions we proposed were designed to benefit all New Mexicans.
Yet, like clockwork, these proposals were rejected by progressive Democrats. They said no to addressing juvenile crime. No to fixing our healthcare system. No to meaningful tax relief for working families. Instead, we got more social engineering programs that primarily benefit the politically connected—nonprofits, NGOs, and special interest groups.
New Mexico is a beautiful state with a rich culture. There’s no reason it cannot also be safe, have high-quality healthcare, and support an economy driven by the people—not government.
There were indeed failures this past session. But let’s be clear: it wasn’t the legislature as a whole that failed. It was the same group of lawmakers--- progressive Democrats—who have controlled New Mexico’s policy direction for generations.
So next time you hear someone ask, “Why didn’t the legislature do this or that?”—replace “legislature” with “progressive Democrats,” and the answer becomes clear.
Gail "Missy" Armstrong serves as the representative for House District 49 in the New Mexico Legislature as well as the New Mexico House Republican Leader.
