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A BLUEPRINT FOR NEW MEXICO'S FUTURE

Honoring Sovereignty, Building Futures

Sam Bregman’s Policy for New Mexico’s Tribal Nations

Honoring Sovereignty, Building Futures

New Mexico’s 23 Indian Tribes and Pueblos represent a broad diversity of histories, languages, and cultures. As governor, I will work continue collaborating closely with Indigenous stakeholders - just as I have done in my service as District Attorney. I will always respect and honor tribal sovereignty. Moreover, I recognize the disparities – in health care, employment, education, and child welfare - that exist between tribal communities and the rest of the state. I pledge to work hard to address and reduce these disparities, so that every Native American family has access to health care, a well paying job, quality education, and affordable quality housing.

 

Health care for Native Americans is a common interest for Tribes in aggregate and individual Native Americans.

 

Native Americans in New Mexico face significant wide-ranging health challenges - with diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and chronic liver disease as the ailments most frequently impacting Indigenous in-state populations. Native Americans also have alarming rates for behavioral health struggles and suicide. Suicide is a major public health issue and the second-leading cause of death for young Native Americans, with high rates linked to historical trauma and substance misuse. To address these health disparities, Native Americans need access to health insurance whether it is provided publicly or from employers.

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123,663 Native Americans in New Mexico were enrolled in Medicaid in July 2025, including over 46,000 children. To support Native American health, we must protect Medicaid. Most depend on a network of Indian Health Services (IHS) hospitals, which are threatened by proposed Medicaid cuts.

As governor, I will:

  • Work to ensure that IHS continues to get maximum health care reimbursement for Medicaid. I will also continue to provide the options of Fee For Service (FFS) and Managed Care Options (MCO) for Native American Medicaid enrollees, allowing individual Native Americans to decide for themselves and their families what Medicaid program they want to apply for

  • Fight to provide direct state government support to the medical infrastructure on which so many rely. I will target for state support those hospitals and clinics that serve Native Americans. I will lobby hard for federal support of our IHS medical facilities, protect Medicaid funding, and advocate for investments in our Tribal medical infrastructure to provide access to quality health care for our Tribal members.

Supporting Native American families

Many Native American families reside off reservation in cities, towns, and rural parts of New Mexico. We must ensure that we deliver support to every Native American family who needs it, not just those who live on Tribal lands.

 

With federal cuts to SNAP (Food Stamps), New Mexicans all over the state may go hungry—and Native American families will be especially hard hit. Reservations face food deserts especially on the Navajo Nation where fresh food can be limited and expensive.

As governor, I will:

  • Create a state-level food assistance fund targeted at Pueblos, Apache tribes, and the Navajo Nation for emergency food distribution when federal aid falls short.

  • Fight to supplement FDPIR (Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations) with fresh produce vouchers or additional funding for healthier food options.

  • Expand school & child nutrition programs.

  • Invest state dollars to guarantee universal free school meals for all Native children, including those attending Head Start programs on tribal lands.

  • Support summer meal programs and mobile meal delivery in remote communities.

  • Invest in infrastructure.

  • Direct capital outlay funds to build, expand, and improve Tribal grocery stores, food hubs, refrigeration facilities, and food distribution centers.

  • Expand broadband and road funding so Tribal members can order groceries online and receive deliveries.

  • Support the New Mexico Indian Family Protection Act (IFPA) and its protections for Indigenous children who are under the state’s custody. The Act requires that Tribes be notified early when a child of theirs is under state custody. I support the Tribes’ authority to remove salient cases to Tribal court jurisdiction and include culturally sensitive case plans that recognize and respect the child’s culture and history. A child’s safety is always paramount but, in the case of a child’s removal from a home, I support the IFPA’s requirement that the child’s family be given first preference for placement with other Tribal households scaled as a secondary recourse, a critical measure that maintains connection for Indigenous youth contending with destabilized circumstances to their respective Tribal communities.

Missing & Murdered Indigenous Peoples and Public Safety Coordination

Albuquerque and Gallup have some of the highest rates of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Peoples (MMIP) cases within the United States.

As governor, I will:

  • Expand and support Tribal, state, and local police coordination, which is critical to solving these cases and giving families the help they need.

  • Expand and collaborate directly with joint task forces that are working on these cases.

  • Support increased data-gathering capacity across law enforcement agencies to increase accountability and tracking of the frequency, type, and location of various crimes.

  • Develop law enforcement agreements between jurisdictions that enhance cooperation and hold agencies accountable for results.

  • Make support services, shelters, and housing available for survivors and their families as necessary.

  • Support Tribal justice systems with resources, training, and technical support.

Native American Education

There are more than 33,000 Native American students in the state. While many flourish, there are achievement disparities that we must directly address. Native American graduation rates and reading achievement scores in particular lag behind those of their peers.

As governor, I will:

  • Expand extended learning time (ELT) programs; afterschool and summer enrichment; community school grants; and equitable instructional materials.

  • Provide targeted and comprehensive support for struggling schools as well as teen pregnancy support.

  • Work aggressively to meet the direction of the Yazzie/Martinez court order to provide programs and services necessary to make students college or career ready as well as build a system which ensures that state funds are spent efficiently to fulfill student needs.

  • Continue to invest in the goals of the Indian Education Act to guide school districts and Tribal nations in ensuring that resources are allocated to implement and develop culturally relevant curriculum and programs. I will suport the establishment of an Indian Education Advisory Council and strive guarantee that school districts and charter schools are engaging in Tribal consultation. I will also seek funding to implement a comprehensive plan to increase tribal teachers and school leaders.

  • Direct my Early Childhood Education & Care Department to honor all Intergovernmental Agreements with Indian Nations, Tribes, Pueblos, or Tribal organizations to plan, conduct, administer, and reimburse early childhood education and care programs. I will collaborate with Tribal communities so early childhood education and care continue to expand and flourish under my administration.

  • Fund capital outlay projects for early childhood programs (i.e. buildings, playground equipment, buses, kitchens, etc.).

  • Invest in professionals, teachers, and support staff by providing competitive pay and benefits.

  • Assure safe classrooms for all Native children by requiring and funding background checks for staff, teachers, and others involved in these vital Tribal programs.

  • Support Tribal colleges and Native American students by protecting and securing funding for and access to the New Mexico Opportunity Scholarship Program.

  • Support Tribal colleges in their efforts to grow their curriculum and connect education to careers.

  • Expand program like the Navajo Technical University Early Childhood Multicultural Education program for Navajo early education teachers in Crownpoint. These programs further strengthen our Native communities.

  • Invest capital outlay funding for buildings on Tribal college campuses.

Indigenous Language Preservation

Indigenous communities are at risk for losing their native languages. As governor, I will support responsible efforts to authorize Tribal nations to form their own state-funded schools through state-Tribal education compacts. This can empower these nations to integrate Tribal education priorities into curriculum, including language and cultural education. These compact schools must be held to the same accountability requirements as all schools, and I will work with Tribes to ensure that there is a clear plan to accomplish responsible implementation of this proposal.

Water and Land issues

The Tribes and Pueblos have longstanding rights to land and water.

As governor, I will:

  • Prioritize the settlement of all Tribal claims for long-term harmony and cooperation among all interested parties through respect for the sovereignty of Tribal nations and Pueblos.

  • Seek to reach settlement of outstanding water right claims with the six Middle Rio Grande Pueblos.

  • Support the Navajo-Gallup Water Supply Project.

  • Advocate for Senator Heinrich’s Tribal Access to Clean Water Act and invest capital outlay into building water pipes and infrastructure that will provide indoor plumbing to those communities and families who need it most.

  • Center Tribal priorities. I will actively embrace Tribal representation in my administration, appointing qualified stakeholders to helm state agencies including the Indian Affairs Department. I will also increase funding for the Department so that more resources make their way to Tribes and their respective citizens. Finally, I will appoint a task force comprised of multiple Cabinet Secretaries work in collaboration with the Tribes and Pueblos to spearhead and help drive my policies and initiatives in culturally conscious capacities.

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