SANTA FE — Leaders of the New Mexico House Republican caucus held a press conference Tuesday ahead of the start of the legislative session to outline their priorities for the coming year.
House Minority Leader Gail Armstrong, House Minority Chair Rebecca Dow and House Minority Whip Alan Martinez said New Mexicans are “paying more and getting less” under what they described as failed progressive policies, arguing their caucus is focused on accountability-driven solutions.
“I’m here to talk about the importance of health care access, public safety and affordability,” Armstrong said. “The common thread here is accountability, common sense and real results. Families in New Mexico don’t want excuses. They want solutions.”
Health care access was a major focus of the conference. Armstrong said House Republicans are prioritizing interstate medical compacts, which would allow New Mexicans to receive virtual care from doctors licensed in other states. Medical malpractice reform was also identified as a top priority.
“We can’t keep pretending that coverage equals care when there are no providers available,” Armstrong said.
Affordability, particularly housing, was another key theme. Dow said Republicans favor policies that expand homeownership rather than subsidizing large-scale rental developments.
“Our plan is to create zero-down-payment and affordable down-payment options for people who want to own a home,” Dow said. “The Democratic approach is to give incentives to corporations to build multifamily housing that they own and then charge market-rate rent.”
She added, “We want people to own their homes. That’s the American dream. We have got to ban out-of-state corporations from buying single-family housing.”
Republican leaders also called for tax relief measures, including expanding the earned income tax credit, eliminating taxes on tips and overtime pay, expanding senior tax credits, and reducing or eliminating the state income tax.
Dow criticized Democratic policies, saying families are struggling despite working longer hours.
“Families in New Mexico are working harder than ever and still falling behind,” she said. “That’s not bad luck or some mysterious economic force. It’s the result of years of bad policies that have raised taxes, raised fees, and increased the cost of energy, housing and transportation.”
Juvenile justice reform was another major focus. Martinez emphasized accountability for violent offenses while expressing optimism about bipartisan cooperation.
“These young people need to be held accountable,” Martinez said. “If they’re old enough to commit violent crimes, they’re old enough to be held accountable.”
Martinez said the issue is bipartisan and noted he is encouraged that the governor appears to be recognizing the seriousness of the problem. “We’re going to have to take some hard votes,” he said. “If we don’t, our families will not feel safe.”
Armstrong closed the press conference by reiterating the caucus’ priorities.
“Republicans are focused on public safety, juvenile justice reform, real affordability solutions, health care access across the state, and accountability in budgeting and government programs,” she said. “We’re encouraged to see the governor beginning to echo some of these priorities, though many of today’s challenges are the result of past decisions by progressive Democrats.”
