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Episode 11 | How New Mexico Democrats Are Delivering: Speaker Javier Martinez on Real Results

  • Writer: Cactus Crossfire
    Cactus Crossfire
  • 4 days ago
  • 3 min read


Introduction

In Episode 11 of Cactus Crossfire, Speaker Javier Martinez sat down to discuss what's actually happening in New Mexico—and it's a masterclass in government delivering for working people. While national politics dominates the headlines, state legislatures are where the real work happens. And New Mexico is leading the way.


The Affordability Crisis: Real Solutions, Not Talking Points

Speaker Martinez opened with a fundamental truth: "State legislatures is where it all happens." While everyone's focused on Washington, legislatures are delivering on the affordability crisis—making it less unaffordable for families of all stripes.

New Mexico didn't just talk about affordability. We acted.


Universal Childcare—First in the Nation

New Mexico became the first state in the nation to implement universal, no-cost childcare. This doesn't happen without Democratic leadership in the legislature. This doesn't happen without a Speaker willing to fight for working families.


Tax Credits That Actually Help

The state now has one of the best working family tax credits in the country. There's a state-level child tax credit on the books. Last year, House Democrats proposed eliminating income tax for working people completely—it died in the Senate, but the fight continues. These aren't abstract policy debates. They're about whether families can afford groceries, pay their light bills, and keep a roof over their heads.


Housing: From Unhoused to Home

One of the most powerful moments in the episode came when Speaker Martinez described a ribbon cutting he attended just the day before recording. An old motel, refurbished. Now housing 78 families with young children who had previously been unhoused.


That's not a talking point. That's 78 families with a home.

And there's more coming. New Mexico is investing another tranche of money into supportive and transitional housing for unhoused people. The state is also helping families purchase their first homes—understanding that for immigrant families, wealth building starts with homeownership.


"We've got to deliver on housing," Martinez said. And they're doing it.


Healthcare: A Decade of Work Paying Off

Healthcare is in crisis across the nation. Unaffordable. Broken. But New Mexico? We're different.


House Democrats have been working on healthcare affordability since 2014—when Martinez was still a community organizer. That's ten years of sustained effort. The Healthcare Affordability Fund and Healthcare Affordability Act passed in 2021, but the groundwork started years earlier.


The result: insurance premiums through the Obamacare exchange in New Mexico aren't skyrocketing like they are across the country. But there's more work to do. New Mexico is bringing healthcare professionals from other countries into the system. Venezuelan and Cuban asylum seekers with medical degrees are currently driving for DoorDash because our licensure systems are archaic. House Democrats are working on a bill to give them capacity to practice healthcare—bringing skilled professionals into the fold while addressing a healthcare shortage.



Early Childhood Education: A Constitutional Amendment

Speaker Martinez fought for ten years to pass a constitutional amendment for early childhood education. The result: hundreds of millions of dollars every year redistributed from New Mexico's permanent fund back into working families with babies.

The Welcome Baby Fund proposal would provide families with up to 12 weeks of paid leave and $3,000 a month to stay home with their newborn or cover childcare costs.

That's not just policy. That's saying: we value your family. We're going to help you.



Youth Investment Over Incarceration

Here's a principle that should guide every state: "Every dollar we invest in activities like Little League Baseball is one less dollar we're gonna have to spend incarcerating these kids later on."


Speaker Martinez spends a lot of time at Little League fields—coaching, umpiring, raising his own kids and his nieces. But he also sees what's across the street: the juvenile detention center. Literally across the street.


The choice is clear. Invest in kids now, or pay for incarceration later. New Mexico is choosing investment.


The Bottom Line

Speaker Javier Martinez didn't come to politics to talk about government. He came to make government work for people.


Look at the last decade of House Democratic accomplishments:

  • Universal childcare (first in the nation)

  • Healthcare affordability that's actually affordable

  • Tax credits for working families

  • Housing for the unhoused

  • Early childhood education funded

  • Youth programs over incarceration

  • Immigrant protections and healthcare access

These aren't abstract victories. They're 78 families in a refurbished motel. They're kids playing Little League instead of sitting in detention. They're families who can afford childcare. They're people who can see a doctor.


That's government that works. That's what New Mexico is building.


Don't miss this powerful episode packed with real talk, legislative wins, and a vision for a more inclusive future.


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