How New Mexico Policies Undermine the Families They Claim to Support
Jodi Hendricks, Executive Director, NM Family Action Movement
May 30, 2025
In New Mexico, family is everything—or so we say. In our churches, our communities, and even our politics, we proudly celebrate family as the heart of New Mexico’s identity. But behind the rhetoric lies a harsher truth: our state’s policies don’t just fail to support the family—they actively undermine it.
Nowhere is that clearer than in the way New Mexico’s public assistance programs treat fatherhood.
Across the board, programs like Medicaid, TANF, SNAP, and housing vouchers impose income eligibility standards that punish families for having two parents in the home. For low-income households, the addition of a father’s income—no matter how modest—can mean the difference between receiving critical assistance or losing it entirely. Families are often told, implicitly or explicitly, that staying together will cost them their health coverage, housing, or food support.
It’s not compassion. It’s a perverse incentive structure that rewards separation and penalizes unity.
And it’s not just public assistance. In a state where wages lag and inflation rises, families face mounting tax burdens and financial pressures that hit hardest when they’re trying to stay afloat. Fathers who strive to lead and provide are often undercut by policies that make stable family life feel impossible. When a single income barely covers the essentials—and higher paying jobs are scarce—what message are we sending to dads trying to fulfill their role?
We say we want strong families, yet everything from our welfare system to our tax code is structured to make them weaker.
These aren’t just oversights—they’re signs of a deeper dysfunction. We’ve built systems that grow government dependency by discouraging fatherhood. The more families fracture, the more they rely on state programs, and the more power shifts away from the home and into bureaucracy. It begs the question: Is this just bad policy, or is it by design?
The cost is staggering—not just to our economy, but to our children. Nationwide, one in four children grows up without a father in the home, and in New Mexico, the number is even higher. Children who grow up with an engaged father are twice as likely to graduate college, 75% less likely to experience teen pregnancy, and 80% less likely to end up in jail. On the flip side, 85% of youth in prison come from fatherless homes. The connection isn’t theoretical. It’s statistical—and deeply personal.
This isn’t about shaming single mothers or glorifying a perfect nuclear model. It’s about telling the truth: dads matter. And our state must stop pretending otherwise.
At NM FAM, we believe restoring fatherhood is one of the most transformative acts we can pursue for our communities. That starts with policy that respects the family structure, not dismantles it. It means empowering fathers economically, socially, and spiritually—not replacing them with government programs.
The beauty of democracy is that culture can change—and laws can change with it. But we can’t fix what we won’t name. If New Mexico wants to move from last place to thriving, we must rebuild where it matters most: in the home.
Let’s stop erasing fathers. Let’s start honoring them.
