Santa Fe, NM - Today, Senate Republicans were unified in their opposition of Senate Bill 241, the bill enacting Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham's 'Universal' Childcare scheme. This deceptive and wildly expensive program is not just economically unsustainable, but is extremely susceptible to widespread fraud, waste, and abuse.
Should this bill be signed by the Governor, New Mexico would provide 'free' childcare to, for example, a family of four earning nearly $200,000 annually. Today, families of four are already eligible for 'free' childcare if their income is below $132,000 annually. This broad expansion, being sold to New Mexicans as 'universal,' only benefits families in the upper-middle and upper class– our state's wealthiest families– at the expense of taxpayers. Furthermore, this colossal program lacks substantive oversight, exposing the state to potential exploitation by bad actors. Given New Mexico's track record, this is extremely concerning to Senate Republicans who stood strongly in opposition.
In response to the passage of SB 241, Senate Republican Leader Bill Sharer (R-Farmington) has issued the following statement:
"This new so-called 'universal' childcare program is going to make the recently uncovered fraud in Minnesota's childcare program look like amateur hour. This program massively expands government, hurts small businesses, and will be taken advantage of by those with bad intentions. Instead of promoting policies that support our most in-need families, our Governor and Democrat lawmakers are deceiving New Mexicans with this program that literally only serves our state's richest families. The only person who should be celebrating the passage of this bill is Governor Tim Walz, whose state of Minnesota will soon take a back seat to the fraud, waste, and abuse perpetrated on New Mexico taxpayers."
