New Mexico faces uncertainty in infrastructure funding under Trump presidency
Nov 22, 2024
SANTA FE, N.M. (KRQE) – Under President Joe Biden's Administration, the State of New Mexico received more than $6 billion to fund infrastructure projects. But with President-elect Donald Trump taking office in a couple of months, a lot of changes are expected- and some of those changes surround the funding of those projects in the state. "That is a huge sum of money that catalyzes projects and improves communities," said Rebecca Roose, Infrastructure Advisor for the New Mexico Office of the Governor.
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Now, the Governor's Office is preparing for that transition as some clean energy initiatives, among other infrastructure projects, could be in jeopardy of losing funding. "President-elect Trump has been very clear that he has a very different view of the role of clean energy," Roose said.
The state says they're taking steps to track those projects that are "in progress". According to the Governor's Office, most of the big-ticket initiatives have been- or will be complete regardless of help from the federal government. However, some other smaller projects may be at risk. The state said they expect some projects to stall, or get delayed as a result of the political shift.
"We aren't sure exactly how that's going to look, and which projects are going to be impacted," Roose explained. "We may see some slow down or some pull back on federal investment on clean energy projects."
State leaders said they'll work with the next administration to try and get projects back on track. They'll also be looking for increased support and investment from the private sector but say it will be difficult to match what the feds have contributed over the last four years. "State money can't make up for all those federal funds so it's going to mean we're going to have to make some really tough choices," Roose added.
The Governor's Office added that the Biden administration also invested heavily in expanding broadband access throughout the country and in New Mexico. They hope Trump's team will continue that trend.