January 16—The second session of the 56th legislature began this afternoon with Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham delivering her annual State of the State Address.

Lujan Grisham painted an idealized picture of a dire situation in New Mexico, where education, public safety, and economic opportunity are ranked lowest among the states.

Amy Barela, the Republican Party of New Mexico First Vice Chairwoman and Otero County Commissioner issued the following statement in response:

"New Mexicans do not need the governor to tell them the 'state of the state.' Every day, the education system is failing our students, more families are struggling to afford basic necessities, homelessness is increasing, fear of being a crime victim has become a daily concern, small businesses are closing or leaving the state, there is a healthcare shortage, worker shortage, and dependence on the government continues to grow.

Gov. Lujan Grisham and the Democratic legislature are pushing priorities that are out of touch with the issues that matter most to New Mexicans. Millions of tax dollars for more electric vehicle chargers? New Mexicans are struggling to make ends meet, let alone afford a costly electric vehicle.

The governor reiterated she is content to repeat the insanity of throwing more tax dollars at the same decades-old, failed policies instead of promoting new prosperity-producing approaches like school choice, using the billion-dollar surplus to refund money to taxpayers, keeping criminals behind bars, strengthening our border security, and supporting New Mexico's energy independence.

Most troubling was the governor's goal for 'public safety' this session, which is to continue to try to disarm law-abiding citizens, leaving families defenseless while hoping criminals will obey her orders. There is nothing 'common sense' about that. Republicans aim to fix the broken criminal justice system while preserving the Second Amendment rights of New Mexicans.

All in all, money alone cannot solve the problems in NM. Policies that support small businesses, our teachers, healthcare workers, the oil and gas industry, local decision-makers, and the rights of all our citizens should be the goal.

The governor concluded her address by saying New Mexico is "made to lead," but until we head in a new direction, we will continue to stay behind the rest of the nation.

This legislative session, the Republican party of New Mexico is striving to uplift the state from the bottom of all the lists. We can bring about positive change for everyone if the Democratic majority works with us towards the goal of a prosperous New Mexico for all."