$9 billion expected for NM in virus relief package

New Mexico could see about $9 billion as part of the virus relief package President Biden signed on Thursday. And more than $23 million is earmarked for government entities in Curry and Roosevelt counties.

Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., said the exact amount New Mexico will receive is still being calculated. But the $9 billion within the 628-page bill includes $2.5 billion for New Mexico governments; individual benefits most people in the state will qualify for; grants for businesses and farmers; $1.2 billion to school districts to help reopen; and more than $1 billion for New Mexico tribes.

“In a very real way, I believe that today is the beginning of the end of the pandemic,” Heinrich said during a video conference on Wednesday, the eve of the one-year anniversary of COVID-19 being declared a pandemic and of the first virus cases being confirmed in New Mexico.

Curry County Manager Lance Pyle said the county has been notified it will receive an estimated $9.5 million in a direct allocation from the U.S. Treasury.

Roosevelt County is expecting $3.6 million, according to County Manager Amber Hamilton.

Pyle said cities and other non-county municipalities are also expected to receive various amounts of funding, which may be spent through 2024.

The city of Clovis should see nearly $9 million, City Manager Justin Howalt said. Portales’ relief package wasn’t immediately clear on Thursday.

Pyle and Howalt said officials are still waiting on details about how the money may be spent.

Pyle said the money will be placed in a separate county account and tracked. “I anticipate that the County Commission will start prioritizing/planning after further information/guidance is released from US Treasury and probably in June/July 2021 during new fiscal year budget process.”

During the Wednesday video conference, New Mexico Democratic elected officials praised the relief package. Not only does that $1.9 trillion bill provide billions of dollars to produce and distribute COVID-19 vaccines across the country, but it also includes money for social programs that will benefit many New Mexicans, they said.

The $2.5 billion for New Mexico governments includes $1.6 billion for the state, $407 million for counties, $177 million for metro areas and $119 million for other local governments.

Fighting poverty

A child tax credit included in the package will have a direct effect on more than 95% of New Mexico families, Heinrich said.

The tax credit program for 2021 will provide families with direct monthly payments totaling up to $3,600 per child per year. The payments will be phased out for married couples making more than $150,000, heads of household making more than $112,500 and individuals making more than $75,000.

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said programs in the relief package will lift many New Mexico families above the poverty line. The Center on Poverty and Social Policy at Columbia University estimated the relief bill could cut childhood poverty in half.

“There are no words to describe the impact that has on a state that has long had extreme and persistent poverty,” Lujan Grisham said.

The relief package also includes $1,400 stimulus checks for individuals and their children dependents. Those qualified for the full checks are individuals making $75,000 or less, heads of household making $112,500 or less or married couples making $150,000 or under. The relief bill also includes an additional $300 weekly federal unemployment benefit through September.

Partisan divide

The bill, the American Rescue Plan, passed the House on Wednesday on a near party-line vote, 220-211. No Republicans supported the measure. The bill took a similar path through the Senate last weekend, passing 50-49 with just support from Democratic senators.

New Mexico Democratic Republican Rep. Yvette Herrell said in a statement that the package was full of unnecessary spending. She criticized the bill for its lack of Republican support and the amount of money that goes to programs not related to COVID.

“With the end of this difficult time now in sight, we should be focused on reopening our communities and getting our children back in school as soon as possible,” she said. “Unfortunately, this bill does nothing to make either happen any faster.”

The Albuquerque Journal contributed to this report.