761 Santa Fe Minimum Wage, Economist Magazine's Childcare Warning, SNAP Benefits for Fentanyl and more

Santa Fe recently raised its minimum wage from an already high $15 an hour to $17.50, but the calculation for future increases cause even more concerns.   The Tax Foundation recently released its Tax Competitiveness Index. Despite ample oil and gas revenues New Mexico has dropped from 20th to 28th since 2020. While taxes are not the ONLY important factor in driving economic decisions, they are key. We discuss why New Mexico has lost ground in recent years.   According to The Economist magazine "free universal child care harms children." We discuss the issues. New Mexico's workforce participation rate is still lower than it was at the start of COVID.  Former State Sen. Bill Tallman, a Democrat, recently wrote an article highlighting the fact that the Keller Administration is diverting funds for studying a downtown arena to United Soccer stadium.  New Mexico House GOP secured a full audit of SNAP in the recent special session. KRQE reported recently that SNAP benefits are being traded for fentanyl. President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Friday that lifted tariffs on a wide range of imported food products, including beef, coffee and tea, bananas, oranges, tropical fruits and fruit juice, cocoa, spices, and tomatoes, as well as certain fertilizers.