By Margaret O’Hara
The Santa Fe New Mexican

New Mexico House Speaker Javier Martínez recently purchased tortillas as he prepared to cheer on the Philadelphia Eagles in the Super Bowl.

The Albuquerque Democrat noticed the price tag for his tortillas was higher over the weekend than it was a month ago.

“This is happening. It’s hitting us,” Martínez said.

During a news conference Monday, House Democratic leaders touted recent progress in reducing the cost of health care and child care while promising more legislation this session to reduce the price of housing and groceries. 

In particular, the House Democrats promised to maintain an even keel, even as policies — and prices — change rapidly under President Donald Trump’s second administration.

“We may not know all that the next four years have in store, but we know that New Mexico is ready,” said House Majority Leader Reena Szczepanski, D-Santa Fe. “We are ready to stand up for our families and our communities; to fight back against chaos and disruption; and to find real solutions, so that everyone who works hard and plays by the rules can get ahead.”

Prices rising

It’s not all in your head: Groceries are getting more expensive. 

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Consumer Price Index shows the cost of all food increased by 2.5% between December 2023 and November 2024. The change is particularly noticeable in beef prices, which increased nearly 5% in the same period, and egg prices, which increased nearly 37% amid an avian flu-related egg shortage. 

Notably, that’s not as bad as the increase during the peak post-pandemic years, with the index recording a nearly 10% rise in food costs in 2022 and a 32% increase in egg prices.

New Mexico House Democrats’ push for affordability measures comes as the Trump administration imposes steep tariffs, including a 25% tariff on steel and aluminum imports announced Monday, with more planned later this week. The moves have generated economic uncertainty and questions about whether they will result in further inflated prices. 

New Mexico moves

State lawmakers have made major moves toward no-cost child care and low-cost health insurance, while imposing tax policies friendly to working families, like the Working Families Tax Credit, Low-Income Comprehensive Tax Rebate and a generous Child Tax Credit — all of which, Martínez noted, save a family of four more than $2,000 annually. 

Despite these measures, the high cost of essentials pose challenges for New Mexico families — challenges that some lawmakers share, said Rep. Derrick Lente, D-Sandia Pueblo.

“Some of us are Native Americans, Hispanics, people of color, women, working families, working parents, immigrants, farmers, ranchers, educators. These types of experiences inform the decisions we make every single day here,” Lente said. 

House Democrats are pushing for a “slate of legislation that will address the rising cost of living,” Szczepanski said. Those bills include:

• Proposals to raise minimum pay for school staff and workers on publicly funded projects, plus a bill to stop employers from taking credit card fees out of tipped workers’ wages.
• A plan to prohibit “dynamic pricing,” a tactic that ties pricing with demand in the market and can result in price gouging during holidays, natural disasters or supply chain disruptions.
• Expansion of health care access via a state-administered health coverage plan.
• Bills to prevent rental discrimination and rent manipulation by artificial intelligence.
• Provision of free high school equivalency exams and preparation services.

A group of House and Senate Republicans, meanwhile, have proposed their own pocketbook measure this legislative session: House Bill 275 would zero out the state’s income tax. The legislation was co-sponsored by Rep. Elaine Sena Cortez of Hobbs; Rep. Mark Murphy of Roswell; Sen. Jay Block of Rio Rancho; Rep. Rod Montoya of Farmington, and Rep. John Block of Alamogordo.

On Monday, New Mexico Democrats complained Trump’s policies are setting the table for potentially higher prices.

“Despite months of lip service about the cost of groceries and reducing inflation, we know that this administration has no plan to address these issues,” Szczepanski said. “Their only intentions are to stoke fear, create chaos and enrich their billionaire friends.”

On the House floor Feb. 4, Rep. Kristina Ortez, D-Taos, started a regular “egg update,” keeping lawmakers apprised of average egg prices as the cost of a dozen creeps toward $10. 

Martínez promised ongoing updates of the cost of eggs, among other grocery staples.

“We will continue to remind people, on the floor of the House, what those grocery prices are because, quite frankly, prior to Nov. 5, that wasn’t a thing,” Martínez said.

The House speaker implored business owners and industry officials to speak out against federal policies that will hurt consumers, including the Trump administration’s “mass deportation” plan. Martínez noted two of New Mexico’s top industries — oil and gas production and agriculture — rely heavily on immigrant labor. 

“I hope — I expect — that those industries will step up as well,” he said.