On this week’s Tipping Point conversation Paul and Wally discuss the events of last week and what they mean. Specifically, the murder of a young Ukrainian girl and Charlie Kirk shooting (and what it means for the future of political discourse).

Paul believes that MLG’s “Free” Child Care scheme is a diversionary tactic. Also, fewer New Mexicans are taking advantage of the existing subsidy.

RGF is fighting for your freedom in court!

RGF had an opinion piece relating to what ails Albuquerque.

Federal $$ shouldn’t be used for bike trails in the first place. Trump cut $11.5 million from the project.

MLG pledges to use NM tax dollars to make up for Planned Parenthood funding elimination?

The Santa Fe New Mexican and some RGF research highlights the massive generosity of recent MLG pay hikes for close staff.

Despite not being directly engaged in the abortion issue, the Rio Grande Foundation remains in litigation in defense of the State’s anti-donation clause over whether Albuquerque City Council can take 250,000 of your tax dollars and donate it to Planned Parenthood.

Now, Gov. MLG is planning to her own Planned Parenthood bailout with another $3 million with the goal of keeping the organization’s abortion clinics open throughout New Mexico. Federal funds for the organization were recently eliminated by the “Big Beautiful Bill” that was signed into law by President Trump earlier this year.

Is this legal? Can she do this without legislative approval? These are open questions. We are talking to our attorneys and will be watching how the Gov. (and perhaps the Legislature) handle the situation. Again, the issue at least for us, is not specifically Planned Parenthood, but the use of our tax dollars to support private organizations, especially politically active ones. It is a real problem and should be stopped.

The Santa Fe New Mexican had a VERY illuminating story about the woman who had the single biggest pay bump from the Gov. (thanks to our taxes). We covered the initial story here, but you’ll want to check this out…let’s just say that the private sector isn’t NEARLY as generous as government.

Leah Mountain is an Administrative Assistant for MLG. She received the top (26%) salary bump from the Gov. as was recently reported.

According to the article, “before joining the Governor’s Office, Mountain worked for seven months as an assistant manager at Whole Hog Café.” According to our research on Indeed and other websites an assistant manager at Whole Hog Cafe earns about $41,600 annually. 

Mountain started out with an annual salary of $60,000 when she joined the Lujan Grisham administration in April 2024. That’s a 44% increase not including the MUCH better benefits offered to government employees.

Furthermore according to the story, “A few months later, she got a small pay increase, bringing her salary to $61,800. By May, her salary ballooned to $75,000, which then grew to $78,000 as a result of the across-the-board pay increase that went into effect for most state government employees at the start of the fiscal year in July.”

So, in less than 1.5 years since taking a 44% pay increase to join MLG’s administration Mountain saw AN ADDITIONAL 30% bump in pay! This is for a high school graduate who happens to be the daughter of Mountain, who is the daughter of James Mountain, the chairman of the All Pueblo Council of Governors. She also was a volunteer for Democrat Andrea Romero’s legislative campaign.

In the original article about the Gov.’s massive pay raises Lujan Grisham spokesman Michael Coleman. “These seasoned professionals could command higher compensation in the private sector but choose public service.” What young high school grads are getting similar pay increases in the private sector?

As the media is reporting the Trump Administration has “clawed back” $11.5 million from the controversial 7-mile long bike trail near downtown Albuquerque. The trail has been a top priority of the Keller Administration and the Mayor has already pledged to sue for restoration of the funding. According to the City the trail was expected to cost between $60 and $90 million once complete.

The City has numerous serious problems including a lack of police and surfeit of homeless.

Also according to the City the Rail Trail has secured $39.5M in funding, some of which is set aside for certain sections of the trail:

• $14.4M must be used on Downtown section between Rail Yards (Hazeldine) and Lomas
  • $11.5M (80%) in USDOT Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) Grant (this is the canceled money)
  • $2.9M (20%) in local match from the City
• $12.1M in City Council funds for any segment
• $10M grant awarded by Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham
• $3M must be used on Wells Park section between Lomas and Constitution
  • Federal Earmark from Senator Ben Ray Lujan and Senator Martin Heinrich

We are not fans of the rail trail, but if it is to be completed it should come from state and local money. Really, it SHOULD be local $$. One of the biggest problems in government these days is that nobody “stays in their lane.” This project is explicitly of local benefit and should be funded locally. Projects with statewide benefit should be funded through the capital outlay process. The feds should ideally get out of road maintenance (as opposed to construction and coordination of roads between states), transit, and bike trail funding as a rule.

Perhaps the Mayor will find a judge that is willing to force restoration of these funds, but maybe not. On the merits Trump has every right to reallocate the money to other projects that actually have a connection to interstate commerce.

The Rio Grande Foundation is always busy fighting for freedom in New Mexico, but recently we have been extra busy doing battle in various courts of law. Here are three very timely legal fights that we are involved in.

1. We just defended New Mexico’s anti-donation clause (and taxpayers) against an outright donation by Albuquerque City Council to Planned Parenthood. We were in court recently and our now awaiting the judge’s decision.
2. We have been in litigation against Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver over free speech campaign restrictions. The 10^th Circuit issued its decision recently and the bad news is we lost—the Court affirmed the district court. The good news is that not only was there a dissent from Judge Eid, but there was a concurring opinion by Judge Hartz that said he was bound by precedent which is why he joined the majority, but that he thought the precedent was wrong. That sets us up for either a motion for en banc review by the entire 10^th Circuit or a cert petition to the US Supreme Court. We will update you on next steps.
3. Finally, RGF has been an amicus (friend of the court) in the case over whether President Trump can unilaterally impose tariffs. We believe that whether the president is a Republican or a Democrat, whether it is Donald Trump, Joe Biden, or Kamala Harris, the Constitution requires Congress to impose taxes, not the president acting alone. This is a very high profile case that will be reported extensively in the media and that will have profound impacts on future overreach by the executive branch.

On this week’s Tipping Point interview Paul talks to Reilly Stephens. Reilly is Senior Counsel at the Liberty Justice Center which is representing Paul and the Rio Grande Foundation in court against the City of Albuquerque in a case (that was recently heard in Court) related to what RGF believes is a clear violation of the State’s anti-donation clause. Between the “leak” of the Dobbs decision of the US Supreme Court (on abortion) and its actual issuance the Albuquerque City Council saw fit to donate $250,000 to Planned Parenthood, a pro-abortion group.

We believe this is a clear violation of the anti-donation clause. Finally, Reilly’s organization is ALSO leading legal opposition to President Trump’s unilateral tariffs and will soon be arguing against those unilateral tariffs at the Supreme Court. Paul and Reilly discuss that as well. Rio Grande Foundation is an amicus in that case.

The week of 9/11 is always a time of thoughtful prayer and reflection. This year was extra special as the Gessing family traveled to New York City for a family vacation which included the 9/11 Museum and Freedom Tower. Both are highly recommended for those who remember the events in real time and those (like Paul’s children) who were too young or not born yet. It is a moving museum and Freedom Tower is a fitting replacement and homage to the original World Trade Center towers.

Here are a few  pics:

Then there was the brutal murder of Iryna Zarutska, a young woman from Ukraine who was killed by a maniac who should never been on the streets while numerous people just watched.

And, making an already difficult week even more tragic is the assassination of conservative political commentator Charlie Kirk. The murder of Kirk is the most impactful of all of these because the Rio Grande Foundation while non-partisan and not nearly as politically-engaged as Kirk’s Turning Point USA group does engage in similar public debates and events that get heated at times.

What is the future of free speech and discourse in America? After a spate of politically-motivated attacks on people from Donald Trump to Catholic schoolchildren in Minnesota, will people (especially conservatives) feel safe gathering in public and expressing their opinions? Is this going to make people even less willing to engage with people across the political spectrum?

This is a sad week both due to current and past events. We praying for the arrest of Charlie Kirk’s murderer and for the restoration of civility and respect across partisan lines.

The following letter to the editor was published on Joe Monahan’s blog and we wholeheartedly agree with the viewpoint:

The Gov. is in dire need of some positive headlines as pertains to New Mexico’s children. CYFD has been an utter disaster under her administration, but reforming that department requires work and changing the Gov.’s approach to issues at the Department. So, rather than making tough moves, MLG would prefer to just change the subject. So, hooray “free universal childcare.”

Far from being unusual, this is a typical approach of the current governor across a wide array of policy issues. Her big-government left-wing policies fail so she creates a new government program or announces a big new development (remember Maxeon Solar?) and then

She seems to hope the compliant media and voters forget about the failure of her ENTIRE agenda: economy, education, crime, and issues relating to children (to name just a few). Why else would a failing governor decide in their waning time in office to make “free” health care for wealthier than average New Mexicans a top priority?

There is a lot to discuss on this week’s conversation and both Wally and Paul are perplexed by the approach Gov. Lujan Grisham (and others) are taking to myriad policy issues in New Mexico.

NM politicians plead poverty on roads.

Why can’t Albuquerque be nice, clean, and safe all year round?

What’s new with Maxeon solar? Not a whole lot.

MLG awards her friends in government (again).

MLG calls a special session of the Legislature for October 1. She has added and removed several items from the agenda. Here’s what we know.

MLG announced a new “free” childcare program (funded by taxpayers). Here’s what we know so far.

MLG fires her CYFD secretary.

In what seems to be nothing more than a thinly-veiled attempt to garner positive headlines nationally and simultaneously divert attention from her abject failures at CYFD and across nearly all aspects of New Mexico government, the Gov. outlined her latest costly expansion of her “cradle to career” government programs.

The twist this time is that her new plan for universal “free” child care is a handout for high income New Mexicans. How is this possible for a supposedly “progressive” Democrat? Simply put, New Mexico already provides child care at taxpayer expense for families making up to 400% of the federal poverty level. We looked up the federal poverty guidelines and found that 400% of the poverty level (this is the current income cap) allows a family of three to earn up to $106,600 annually. According to the Census Bureau the median household income in New Mexico is $62,268.

MLG’s plan is to make “free” child care universal which means that this cap (high as it is) will no longer apply and people making even higher salaries will be able to receive this government benefit at taxpayer expense. The existing program costs $463 million each year. Making the program universal will cost $120 million with an additional one-time capital expenditure of $20 million.

Far from being “progressive,” universal “free” child care is a massive giveaway to high earning New Mexicans. Will this program result in more children being born and raised in New Mexico (NM is seeing a big decline in its youth population)? Will this program have a positive impact on the economy? Will it help New Mexico create new jobs and diversify its economy? Will the workers be available to massively expand this system and will they be vetted to make sure they are competent and don’t have criminal records?

None of this is discussed by the Gov. At the very least there must be answers before this is passed.

As we have discussed frequently at the Rio Grande Foundation recently New Mexico’s roads have deteriorated significantly in recent years despite the State being in the midst of an oil and gas boom that has generated massive revenues.

The Albuquerque Journal this morning contains an article in which legislators and others involved in road maintenance and construction throughout New Mexico complain about an “impending revenue crunch” thanks to more efficient vehicles and the fact that gas taxes haven’t been raised in several years. In the article Democrat Sen. Moe Maestas even advocated for raising the gas tax.

There is no need to raise gas taxes to improve our roads. In fact, there are numerous ways to improve our roads with the money available.

1. Levy a fee on EV’s. Yes, this is technically a tax, but EV drivers don’t pay road taxes even though EV’s do more damage to roads than traditional gas powered vehicles do (due to their weight). Bills have been introduced in the Legislature by Democrats but haven’t become law. 
2. Direct a portion of capital outlay dollars to roads. This should be done on a one-time basis with New Mexico’s $7 billion in unspent capital outlay, but also on an outgoing basis as anywhere from 25% to 50% of capital outlay should be earmarked to roads. Check out the following AI discussion of why New Mexico doesn’t direct capital outlay dollars to roads.
3. Eliminate the State’s “prevailing wage” law which artificially inflates the cost of road projects.
4. Dedicate $$ from the general fund or even the State’s permanent funds which total $64 billion. New Mexico politicians have set up dedicated funds for all manner of spending projects (most recently $2 billion for Medicaid in 2025). It may be time to set up a permanent fund for a core function of government.

Fall is undoubtedly the best time of year in Albuquerque. The State Fair, cooler temperatures, chiles roasting, Balloon Fiesta, and the streets suddenly become cleaner and safer. With a city election coming this fall as well, that last point is worth further discussion. In fact, the article below had the following gem:

ABQ Ride says the officers will check bus platforms and go on the buses to make sure things are running smoothly. They say they currently have 21 Transit Officers for the city, the largest ever in their history. In addition, the City is also moving some of its private security guards to the Louisiana and Central bus platform for the duration of the fair. Last month, Mayor Tim Keller shared the National Guard would also be helping during the fair.

The article also refers to “cleaning up the streets” around the Fairgrounds. Locals are familiar with the pattern as suddenly the “homeless” population is no longer as noticeable during Balloon Fiesta. That being said, downtown is perhaps so bad or so far away from the Fairgrounds and Balloon Fiesta that we haven’t seen a difference there. The point being: Like California Gov. Gavin Newsom Mayor Keller knows how to clean up our city but he just doesn’t want to do it year-round (or for just the people who live here).

Of course, we have an election this fall. If you feel that Albuquerque should only be cleaned up and made safe for State Fair and Balloon Fiesta by all means give him a 3rd term in office.

Remember way back in August of 2023 when Gov. Lujan Grisham made a big announcement that Maxeon Solar was going to invest $1 billion in New Mexico in a massive solar panel manufacturing facility? We certainly do and the announcement remains on the Gov.’s website. This, of course, was all going to be done with a massive infusion of corporate welfare of numerous types courtesy of New Mexico taxpayers.

But, the Albuquerque Journal hasn’t reported on Maxeon’s “progress” since May 1 of 2025 and  revenue plummeted to just $39 million in the first half of 2025. That’s down from $372 million in the first half of 2024. A big part of the problem appears to be allegations of forced labor usage in China.

We searched high and low for any information on even the company’s “scaled down” plans for a manufacturing facility in Albuquerque and found nothing new (since the announcement back in November of 2024). According to THAT announcement the company was planning to begin manufacturing solar panels by early 2026 which is just a few months away.

Whatever the issue Maxeon is likely just another example of New Mexico’s politicians over-promising (using our tax dollars) and under-delivering. Rather than picking winners and losers whether those be Hollywood, solar companies, Virgin Galactic, or numerous other companies that receive our tax dollars, it would be great if our politicians simply lowered New Mexico’s taxes and improved our regulatory climate (along with improving education and reducing crime).

On this week’s show Paul talks to Jeff Apodaca. Jeff ran for governor in the Democratic Party primary in 2018 and comes from a political New Mexico family. Jeff is also a businessman and political activist. Paul and Jeff discuss the latest political issues in New Mexico and some of the forces shaping the 2026 elections, but they also talk about the accumulation of massive amounts of money in New Mexico’s permanent funds and what should be done with that money (and in tax policy more generally) to get New Mexico out of last place in so many metrics.

Gov. Lujan Grisham has never been shy about handing out generous amounts of taxpayer cash to her top staff members. She did this in 2024 and 2021 (to name just two) and as the Albuquerque Journal reports, she recently did it once again with pay raises of up to 26% for some top staffers.

MLG justified the massive pay increases saying, “These seasoned professionals could command higher compensation in the private sector but choose public service.” Is that true? While direct comparisons are hard to come by the Albuquerque Journal in 2020 made the case that government pay in New Mexico is much higher than that of the private sector. Many analyses also omit generous employee benefits in the form of pensions and health care which are simply not available in the private sector.

More importantly, what are WE THE PEOPLE getting for all of this money. Under this administration New Mexico is consistently ranked at the VERY bottom of nearly all lists: education, crime, economy, poverty, conditions for children, and overall living standards (to name just a few). This is the case even as New Mexico government grows and is now sitting on $64 billion in its various sovereign wealth funds. Shouldn’t some kind of “pay for performance” be a part of this equation?

Also, with costs rising for average New Mexicans and the State flush with cash shouldn’t WE get a raise in the form of substantial tax reduction?

On this week’s Tipping Point conversation Paul and Wally discuss Paul’s recent work trip to New Orleans. The trip coincided with the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. Paul also bumped into former NM PED secretary Hanna Skandera.

Santa Fe looks to raise its already high minimum wage due to cost increases in the City Different. What could go wrong?

The athletic directors of UNM/NMSU look for additional funding from the Legislature for student athletes. Paul and Wally discuss potential issues.

New Mexico has the highest percentage of people on welfare of any state:

Expanding broadband is REALLY expensive and affordable alternatives exist, but federal, state, and local governments have poured hundreds of millions into it in New Mexico alone.

ABQ spending $80 million to get 1,000 homeless off the streets?

Most New Mexicans are abundantly aware of the dire medical provider shortage facing our state. The Rio Grande Foundation has been researching and discussing solutions to this problem for several years. The same is true for Think New Mexico which is led by Fred Nathan.

While we don’t always agree with the approach of Think NM (we often do), we believe that having a thoughtful and detailed conversation about the situation. You can find RGF’s solutions to the crisis paper here.  Our paper highlighting the severity of the problem can be found here. Special thanks to Jim Williams and Joaquin Romero for their work to bring this podcast to fruition. The first two parts of this series can be found below:

In an effort to inform the electorate in this fall’s city elections in Albuquerque the Rio Grande Foundation has undertaken surveys of both mayoral candidates and city council candidates. The following are the surveys returned by council candidates. If you can’t see them you can get a larger version by opening the survey in a new tab.

If additional surveys are received between now and election day we will post them here.

Joshua Neal is running in District 1. You can find his survey below:

Chris Sedillo is running in District 3 (South Valley). You can find his survey below:

Dan Lewis is running in District 5. You can find his survey below:

The following was published in the Rio Grande Sun and several other papers in late August of 2025.

Under the plan imposed by Gov. Lujan Grisham and her handpicked Environmental Improvement Board, 43% of all vehicles sold in New Mexico were supposed to be electric by 2026. 

Fortunately for New Mexico car buyers, back in May the U.S. Congress (including New Mexico Democrat Rep. Gabe Vasquez) voted to eliminate California’s exemption from federal clean air rules (and thus the ability of other states) to force unwilling buyers  to purchase electric vehicles. 

A new report from the pro-EV trade group Alliance for Automotive Innovation indicates that as of the first quarter of 2025, adoption of EV’s had begun to decline even before Congress acted. Perhaps the mere election of Donald Trump shifted consumer behavior back toward gas-powered vehicles, but the reason for this decline is unclear.

What we do know is that according to the Alliance’s data New Mexico’s EV market share plummeted by 10% from 5.53% in Q4 2024 to 4.98% in Q1 2025. The report found that declines occurred in states whether they mandated EV’s or didn’t. 

Given those low and dropping numbers there is no chance of New Mexico complying with the 43% EV sales target. But, rather than thanking Trump and Congress for averting a self-inflicted crisis, the Gov. instead criticized them for  “putting polluters over people and creating chaos for consumers and the market.” New Mexico also joined California’s lawsuit which amounts to a long-shot attempt to get the courts to overturn Congressional action and thus restore that State’s federal waiver.

The decline in EV sales is likely a result of market saturation among a relatively niche group of people who are interested in buying them. Even as Congress killed off EV mandates numerous federal and state subsidies for EV’s remain in effect. According to the New Mexico Environment Department:

Under current federal policy, tax credits of up to $7,500 for new EVs and up to $4,000 for used EVs are available through Sept. 30. 

You can also get a tax credit of up to $1,000 to help cover the cost of purchasing and installing a residential or commercial EV charging station. This federal tax credit is available through June 30, 2026.

On top of those federal subsidies, the State of New Mexico offers a tax credit of up to $3,000 for the purchase or lease of a new or used qualifying vehicle and a tax credit of up to $25,000 for the purchase and installation of clean car charging units. 

New Mexico’s subsidies and breaks will remain in effect and are augmented by recently-enacted building codes which require EV charging stations and/or charging infrastructure in all new houses and apartment construction.

All of these either take money out of the pockets of non-EV drivers or raise the price of housing which is already unaffordable in much of our state. While federal subsidies for EV’s are on track to expire, for the time being New Mexico will continue to pump taxpayer dollars into EV’s, charging stations, and other EV-related infrastructure that primarily benefit wealthy EV owners. 

The future of EV’s and other “alternative” fuel vehicles is very much in question. Absent massive subsidies and mandates EV’s appear to be a niche product in the United States. Perhaps new technology (like massive improvements in battery technology) will change that. But with the Trump Administration’s “drill baby drill” philosophy keeping oil and gas prices low it is unlikely that auto buyers (as opposed to politicians) will flock to EV’s. Perhaps hydrogen or some other technology will prove superior to EV’s?  

Regardless of what the future holds for the automotive market New Mexico’s political leadership should reinstate true freedom of vehicle choice by eliminating subsidies and mandates, regardless of the technology. And, as long as the gas tax plays a role in funding road maintenance EV owners should also pay a fee of some kind to maintain the roads. It’s only fair.

Paul Gessing is president of New Mexico’s Rio Grande Foundation. The Rio Grande Foundation is an independent, nonpartisan, tax-exempt research and educational organization dedicated to promoting prosperity for New Mexico based on principles of limited government, economic freedom and individual responsibility. 

Join us for the Rio Grande Foundation’s 25th anniversary celebration!

Register

Date

Saturday, November 8, 2025 at 6:30 PM

Location

Olympus Event Center
4591 Vista Fuente Road Northwest
Albuquerque, New Mexico 87114

Attire

Dress to Impress
Cocktail Attire Recommended

Keynote

Grover Norquist, Americans for Tax Reform

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The evening will feature a pre-set menu with accommodations for vegan and gluten-free diets. Dietary restrictions may be noted during registration.

The Laissez Faire Soirée gala celebration provides an opportunity for Rio Grande Foundation’s patrons to sponsor the event.

Patrons may purchase tables at the gala and receive special recognition. ​Learn more about sponsorship and contact Marina Herrera to inquire at development@riograndefoundation.org.

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According to the Albuquerque Journal a recent legislative hearing saw the athletic directors of both UNM and NMSU team up in order to plead to the Legislature for more funding for athletics. As RGF discussed with KOAT Channel 7 during the recent 2025 legislative session which saw introduction of SB 268 which would have handed an additional $1.5 million to the athletic departments of each school, this is a bad idea.

Yes, the economics of college sports are changing and changing fast with universities now paying NIL money to players up to $20.5 million annually.

UNM and NMSU also face the challenge of raising money in a state with a small number of big companies that would potentially put up that kind of cash on an annual basis.

Higher education in New Mexico is already VERY generously subsidized by New Mexico taxpayers. In 2024 according to State Higher Education Finance New Mexico spent a massive $18,754 per full time student. The U.S. average was $11,683.

How much will New Mexico’s taxpayers have to spend in order to make UNM and NMSU “competitive” financially with other schools? That is an open question that is impossible to answer. Simply put, we don’t want to find out because it could be a lot.

On this week’s interview Paul talks to Dr. Deane Waldman. Deane was a pediatric cardiologist at University of New Mexico Hospital. He also served on the board of Rio Grande Foundation before moving to Texas. He now works to advance the “Empower Patients Initiative” with economist Vance Ginn. You can read more about that here.

Deane and Paul discuss the health care situation in the US as a whole and New Mexico’s acute medical shortage. Deane has some important ideas for reforming health care at the national and state levels here in New Mexico as well as addressing the medical provider shortage. Don’t miss this conversation!