Earmarks are aimed at addressing New Mexico’s housing shortage
This year’s congressional earmarks came through in part because President Trump "wasn’t even paying attention." That's according to U.S. Rep. Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M), who spoke after touring Saranam, a transitional housing facility located in northwest Albuquerque for families experiencing homelessness.
"That was a bipartisan deal that was cut [in January] by Congress while the president was bombing Venezuela," said Stansbury, "so he just let the budget bills go through."
Even so, the Republican majority only appropriated $1.35 million of the $4.7 million Stansbury requested in FY2026 for housing and homelessness grants. For that reason, she says earmark proposals — formally known as Community Project Funding grants — work best when the projects they fund can start small and grow.
Still, it's unclear how Bernalillo County's will build a new shelter for seniors who are experiencing homelessness after receiving only half of the $1.7 million requested.
Much clearer is how the New Mexico…