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County supports landfill expansion

Michael Smith
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County supports landfill expansion

Adrian Hedden
Artesia Daily Press

Safety concerns prompted a series of improvements at the Sandpoint Landfill, where residents of Eddy County can bring bulk amounts of trash for disposal at the facility about 12 miles southeast of Carlsbad.

County Public Works Director Hazer Archer said work was ongoing to build two additional cells where trash will be disposed of at the landfill, which he said was increasing in use amid countywide population growth.

Archer gave a presentation during the Eddy County Commission’s Tuesday, Oct. 21, meeting in Carlsbad on potential solutions the Public Works Department identified at the landfill.

The proposed expansion to the landfill’s size would mean acquiring about 80 acres from the Bureau of Land Management, Archer said, giving the landfill another 60 years of capacity. A cost estimate for the expansion was still being determined as of Tuesday’s meeting.

Four of the six cells that hold trash were full and capped, he said, while a fifth is being capped. The remaining cell on the property was about three quarters full and a seventh was proposed. A decision on the seventh cell was not made at Tuesday’s meeting, and Archer said plans are in place to propose an eighth cell in the future.

“It’s going to cost money,” he said. “But it would be for a lifetime.”

Meanwhile, he said, the county added several signs around the landfill informing users where to park and where to unload their trash.

“Safety is obviously No. 1,” he said. “We identified that we needed some signage. People have been pulling out at the wrong spots, damaging things. So, we signed it. It helps everyone.”

Archer said the county was increasing its vehicle maintenance and workforce training, adding netting to prevent litter from blowing out of the landfill, and spraying water on the ground around the landfill to prevent blowing dust.

He also proposed establishing a “pit system” at the landfill that would allow residents to deposit trash in one area, with the refuse moved to a separate pit to be compacted and processed by machine.

“This keeps people and the machinery separate,” Archer said. “It’s safer.”

In a separate agenda item, the commission approved the purchase of two military-style trucks for about $210,000, which Archer said would be used at the landfill to haul garbage. He said the county lost one to a fire in 2023

“They’re hardy. They don’t get stuck,” he said. “You can’t kill them.”

District 1 Commissioner Ernie Carlson moved to accept the expense of the two vehicles and proceed with their purchase. The measure passed unanimously.

“We need the military vehicles. They’re really going to help us out,” Carlson said.

District 5 Commissioner Sarah Cordova said she supported the new equipment and expansions at the landfill, urging Archer to devise a cost estimate to be presented to commissioners at a later meeting.

“I think we’re already getting larger as a community,” she said. “We’re ahead of where we expected with the trash flow. We need to plan.”

Other business

A special meeting was set for 8:30 a.m. Nov. 10 to canvass results from the Nov. 4 election, which will decide multiple municipal and local races across Eddy County.

Finance Director Roberta Gonzales reported the county’s General Fund received about $6.5 million in gross receipts taxes and another $6.8 million from oil and gas operations. She said the county could see a dip in revenue by the end of the year with oil prices predicted to dip as low as $50 a barrel while the county had budgeted for about $52 a barrel in December.

As of August, Gonzales said, about 37% of the budgeted revenue for Fiscal Year 2026 was collected –about $88.3 million of the $236.4 million the county budgeted. Fiscal Years run from July 1 to June 30 of each year, named for the calendar year when they end.

About $70.3 million or 16% of the county’s budgeted expenses for FY 2026 were used as of August, Gonzales said.

Commissioners heard a presentation from United Way of Eddy County Executive Director Kyle Marksteiner who said the nonprofit paid 82 electric bills amounting to $41,142 for those in need in 2024, along with 38 water bills at $4,517. He said the agency served 5,125 households at its monthly food distributions.

Managing Editor Adrian Hedden can be reached at 575-628-5516, or @AdrianHedden on the social media platform X.

Pride

Michael Smith
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Pride

David Grousnick

I heard about a fifth grader who came home from school so excited. She had been voted “prettiest girl in the class.” The next day she was even more excited when she came home, for the class had voted her “the most likely to succeed.” The next day she came home and told her mother she had won a third contest, being voted “the most popular.”

But the next day she came home extremely upset. The mother said, “What happened, did you lose this time?” She said, “Oh no, I won the vote again.” The mother said, “What were you voted this time?” She said, “most stuck up.”

The Pharisee in Luke 18:9-14 would have won that contest hands down. He had an “I” problem. Five times you will read the little pronoun “I” in just two verses. He was high on the drug of self. He suffered from two problems: inflation and deflation. He had an inflated view of who he was, and a deflated view of who God was.

His pride had made him too big for his spiritual britches. C. S. Lewis once said, “A proud man is always looking down on things and people; and of course, as long as you are looking down, you can’t see something that’s above you.”

Who doesn’t like an “attaboy!” or an “attagirl!’ when they do something good? It’s why we have “honor society” in school and scholarship awards as we head into college. “Attaboys!” and “Attagirls!” stand behind all those accolades high achievers get throughout life – they reward the gracious, good, above-and-beyond behaviors we see in others.

Good people deserve good things. Right?

The problem is that our vision of “good behavior” can get extremely near-sighted. We are only able to see the good in those who stand closest to us. Those far off become, if not “bad,” at least “other.”

“Otherness” is perhaps the most insidious form of prejudice. Why? Because “otherness” disassociates our close family and other loved ones from outsiders and strangers. As soon as we identify some people as “others,” the game is over. We have drawn up “us” vs. “them” battlelines.

In this Luke 18:9-14, the good-living, well-meaning Pharisee and the ne’r-do-well tax collector are set up as ideal types of the “acceptable” vs. the “other.” The contrast could not be sharper.

The Pharisee examines himself and finds no fault with himself. The tax collector lets God examine him and throws himself on the bar of God’s justice (receiving mercy as God does). Ironically the Pharisee treats God as a debt collector and the Tax collector, who IS a debt collector, treats God as a Savior.

Samuel Colgate, the founder of the Colgate business empire, was a devout Christian, and he told of an incident that took place in the church he attended.

During an evangelistic service, an invitation was given at the close of the sermon for all those who wished to turn their lives over to Christ and be forgiven. One of the first people to walk down the aisle and kneel at the altar was a well-known prostitute.

She knelt in very real repentance, she wept, she asked God to forgive her, and meanwhile the rest of the congregation looked on approvingly at what she was doing. Then she stood and testified that she believed God had forgiven her for her past life, and she now wanted to become a member of the church.

For a few moments, the silence was deafening.

Finally, Samuel Colgate arose and said, “I guess we blundered when we prayed that the Lord would save sinners. We forgot to specify what kind of sinners. We’d better ask him to forgive us for this oversight. The Holy Spirit has touched this woman and made her truly repentant, but the Lord apparently doesn’t understand that she’s not the type we want him to rescue. We’d better spell it out for him just which sinners we had in mind.”

Immediately, a motion was made and unanimously approved that the woman be accepted into membership in the congregation.

God accepts us as we are. There’s not a sin too black, not a deed too awful, not a thought too horrible for him to forgive.

This is the way we believe at First Christian Church, and this is why we invite any and all to come and worship with us. We meet at 10:30 am at 11th and Bullock, just across the street from Zia Intermediate school. Come and see for yourself!

The Artesia Bulldogs football team, survives a scare against Goddard to win 24-14

JT Keith
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The Artesia Bulldogs football team, survives a scare against Goddard to win 24-14

There is a saying that offense sells tickets and defense wins championships. If the Artesia Bulldogs football team wins the state championship this season, it will look back on its 24-14 victory over Goddard on Friday night at the Bulldog Bowl as the game that did it.

“I can’t speak highly enough of our defense,” Artesia head football coach Jeremy Maupin said. “Both touchdowns that we gave up, the one our offense gave up early in the game, which was the first play of the game, I can’t remember (the second play). And then we give up a big kick return because we don’t cover the kickoff very well. I told our defense after the game that they pitched a shutout. I can’t say enough about those guys.”

The Bulldogs (8-1 overall, 6-0 District 2-5A) football team was not at its best and did not play its best game of the season on offense. The ‘Dogs seemed flat and did not play like it is accustomed to. The offense had three interceptions and a fumble- the offense just seemed to be missing.

Artesia fumbled on the second play of the game, and Goddard defensive lineman Eric Gutierrez ran it back to the Bulldogs’ 3-yard line. With that, the Rockets’ offense scored to take a 7-0 lead with 10:07 in the first quarter. On Artesia’s next possession, while moving the ball, Goddard’s defensive back Jordan Chavez stepped in front of the Bulldogs’ wide receiver Trent Egeland in the Goddard end zone to intercept the pass and stop the scoring drive.

The Bulldogs scored on a 3-yard touchdown run from Bulldogs’ senior running back Bryce Parra to tie the game at 7-7 with 3:09 to play in the first quarter. Right before halftime, the Bulldogs’ defense held and forced a punt. The offense managed to get a 34-yard field goal from kicker Corbyn Dominguez to take a 10-7 lead into halftime.

Goddard (6-3 overall, 4-2 District 2-5A) did something no other team the Bulldogs have played this year has done, and that is take away the Bulldogs’ passing game. In the loss against Centennial, the Bulldogs were able to throw the ball. Artesia’s passing game was not working well, leading to three interceptions and a fumble.

“Our kids believed we could win this game,” Goddard football coach Arturo Bolanos said. “We wanted to run the ball, and we were able to do that.”

Artesia’s Alejandro Ontiveros and Julian Beza along with an unnamed Artesia defender gather to stop Goddard running back Brady Gibbs, Friday night at the Bulldog Bowl. JT Keith | Artesia Daily Press

The Bulldogs received all three of their scores from running back Bryce Parra. Parra scored on a 3-yard touchdown run. His second score came on a 30-yard option run to give the Bulldogs a 17-7 lead with 30 seconds left to play in the third quarter. And in the fourth quarter, Parra scored a 32-yard throwback pass from quarterback Derrick Warren.

This game is one in which the Bulldogs could see Goddard in the semifinals or championship game. The Rockets did what they set out to do: run the ball and eat up time off the clock. Artesia’s defense was stout, forcing four turnovers on downs and stopping the Goddard offense when it needed to. The defense was on the field an extended part of the game but managed to keep the Rockets out of the end zone until the end with 5:24 left to play in the game, when Goddard scored a meaningless touchdown.

“Coach Bolanos has those guys in the weight room,” Maupin said. “A lot of those guys we played against last year. I thought especially their defense really brought the energy to us instead of us bringing it to them. I think our guys were riding the high, thinking they were unstoppable. Goddard showed and hopefully humbled us a little bit. It is good to get a win as badly as we played tonight and still get a win.”

Artesia’s wide receiver Kael Houghtaling picks up a key first down against Goddard during Friday night action at the Bulldog Bowl.

Maupin said he coached poorly and that he has to make sure the team is not content just because it defeated Roswell; the team needs to finish it out. Maupin is pointing the finger at himself, saying it starts with him, and feels like the team had a good week of practice, but did not run the ball, block well, or catch the ball well against Goddard on Friday night.

“We turned the ball over (four) way too many times,” Maupin said. “It is on me, and it is a reflection of me. I told the team that we are going to take this and learn from it and get better and figure this thing out.”

The Bulldogs will take on the Mayfield Trojans at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 31, at the Bulldog Bowl for its last regular game of the season.

Goddard is the most improved team in district

JT Keith
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Goddard is the most improved team in district

Bonus edition for the Artesia Daily Press subscribers

For the Goddard Rockets football team, the season has a chance to go from good to great. The Rockets have a 6-2 record and two games left to play – against Artesia at 7 p.m. this Friday at the Bulldog Bowl and the annual rivalry against Roswell on Oct. 31.

Goddard first has to upset the No. 1 team in the state, the Artesia Bulldogs. As usual, the Artesia-Goddard football game will have a lot to do with playoff seeding, with one week left after this one.

If the Rockets win, they would have a chance to share the District 2-5A title with a win over the Bulldogs, provided they defeat Roswell in the final regular season game. A win would bode well for Goddard’s ranking in Class 5A, If the Rockets can secure the fourth seed, they will receive a first-round bye in the state playoffs. The top four teams receive a bye and a home playoff game the following week against the lower-seeded squad. 

Goddard head coach Art Bolanos said his team’s success this season is due to strong senior leadership. He said his Rockets are a vastly different team than the one that lost 55-20 against the Bulldogs at the Wool Bowl last season.

Bolanos spoke with the Artesia Daily Press sports editor JT Keith on Wednesday about the three keys to defeating Artesia on Friday.

The Artesia football team breaks through the banner at the Wool Bowl and begin the sprint towards doing the dogpile. The Bulldogs defeated Roswell 42-28 on Friday night.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     JT Keith | Artesia Daily Press

No big plays

“We cannot give up any big plays to them,” Bolanos said. “(Artesia’s) offense is very explosive, and we have to try and be physical with them and slow them down. Our defensive line has to play well and slow down their running game. It is almost like pick-your-poison with whom to stop. They have wide receivers that can take it all the way, and they have a running game that can score as well.”

Special teams

“We have to contain their special teams,” Bolanos said. “We must be sound in all phases of the kicking game. We cannot have any lapses on special teams. Artesia has scored a lot of points on their special teams this season; we have to stop them in the kicking game.”

Run the ball

“We have to run the ball and control the clock,” Bolanos said. “We must keep their offense off the field. We have a good running game and good receivers. We must give ourselves a chance.”

Artesia MainStreet offers early Halloween

Michael Smith
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Artesia MainStreet offers early Halloween

Staff Report

Saturday Artesia area residents have the chance to trick or treat early in downtown Artesia.

Trick or Treat MainStreet starts at 4 p.m. with an inclusive area near the north entrance of Heritage Plaza with an event designed for children and families with special needs.

Then from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. First through Seventh Streets will be blocked off for Trick or Treat MainStreet as food trucks, local businesses, non-profits and school groups offer fun and treats for the whole family.

DJ Drowzy Drew will provide entertainment.

Other pre-Halloween activities on Saturday:

At 8 p.m. until 10 p.m., 1001 Camino Del Llano, the Haunted Maze. Cost is $10 per person.

At 5:30 p.m. at Catalyst Church, 2811 Hermosa Drive, presents Trunk or Treat.

The time is now for energy permitting reform

Michael Smith
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The time is now for energy permitting reform

Sandy Jones

New Mexico stands in a unique position to leverage our vast energy resources – both traditional oil and gas and renewables – while also preserving environmental stewardship for our public lands.

For energy, costs are rising, and demand has skyrocketed. Electricity use nationally is expected to grow up to 25% by 2030 to power the AI revolution and our expanding advanced manufacturing industrial base. In that same period, the risk of electric grid outages could increase a hundredfold if our current pace of energy infrastructure development doesn’t keep up with demand, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. As both a businessman and a former member of the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission, I know that ensuring reliable, affordable energy depends on our ability to build and develop infrastructure efficiently. But that does not mean ignoring well-balanced environmental safeguards and conservation efforts. Given that revenues from oil and gas development provide about 40 percent of our state’s budget, we can and must find a solution.

The current federal-permitting system, however, is outdated and not fit for a modern energy economy and is holding New Mexico back. The decades-old system is making life harder for everyday New Mexicans struggling with high energy costs and for entrepreneurs facing red tape that stifles innovation and investment. In its current form, the permitting process delays and derails exactly the kind of projects that could address modern needs and secure our future. Fortunately, there are common-sense, bipartisan measures on the table to fix it.

I deeply appreciate the beauty and importance of New Mexico’s federal lands – which make up more than 27% of our state. Yet the permitting system designed to ensure responsible development of our resources has been misused across administrations. The Bureau of Land Management too often fails to use tools Congress has already approved to provide a consistent and reliable approval process, and project barriers with no meaningful environmental benefit continue to delay responsible energy development on federal lands. The result is a backlogged system that raises costs and hampers innovation. Congress must act and restore permit predictability by mandating the use of proven tools to evaluate energy projects and streamlining the review process when the Federal Government has only an adjacent interest to state and private mineral rights.

Another law in need of modernization is the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). While originally intended to ensure responsible development, NEPA was written more than a half-century ago during a very different era of energy projects and infrastructure development. Its vague, outdated language now enables legal challenges that weaponize the process to delay critical projects of all kinds. Durable Congressional action is needed to clarify the law’s intent, standardize timelines, and improve efficiency.

There is broad bipartisan agreement that the current permitting system is broken. Decisive action by Congress is essential to fix it. To be clear, strong environmental protections and efficient permitting are not mutually exclusive – they can and must work hand in hand.

New Mexico is fortunate to have leaders in Congress committed to lowering costs and helping developers meet our state’s growing energy needs regardless of energy source. Our Congressional delegation, including Senator Martin Henrich who sits on the important Energy & Natural Resources Committee, can best serve New Mexicans by championing common-sense permitting reforms that deliver immediate and lasting benefits for our energy future and preserve our environmental standards.

Sandy Jones is a businessman and public servant from New Mexico who served multiple terms on the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission.

The secret weapon to the Bulldogs’ football success: The Dogpile

JT Keith
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The secret weapon to the Bulldogs’ football success: The Dogpile

No Artesia football player, coach, or fan can remember what game or year it started. Still, all agree that the Dogpile is one of the most psychologically imposing events an opposing football team can witness before the start of a high school football game. It looks harmless enough as fans wait until the captains of both teams meet to decide who will get the opening kickoff.

After the 50-yard-line ceremony, Artesia fans from both sides of the stadium start converging onto the field. Alumni, young and old, women, kids, and even babies form a U on the field in front of the Bulldogs’ bench, packed three rows deep.

The cheerleaders gather at the front of the ramp, where the Bulldogs’ football players walk down the ramp to the field. The scene is almost like gladiators going out to do battle. The Paw Prowlers  hold up a large, painted orange A, and the other cheerleaders hold up a breakaway banner with an inspirational message written on it.

 

 

Five minutes before the start of the game, the football players begin walking down to the bottom of the ramp and huddle together in front of the breakaway paper and commence chanting. The chant goes up until the players have reached an emotional fervor of excitement and readiness. In a flash, the players break through the paper, and the first players run about 40 yards and slide, and then the other 100 players jump on each other, and it is nothing but screams of delirious excitement, as the players continue to jump on top of each other. That is known as the Dogpile.

“That is the way we show people how to start a game,” Artesia football coach Jeremy Maupin said. “What is cool is that we have a coach on our staff from Aztec and a coach from Clovis, and both of those coaches played against us. I am talking about the dogpile from the Bulldog point of view, and they (coaches) talk about it from an opponent’s point of view. It is an intimidating thing. The crowd is going wild, the fight song is unique to just us, which I love. The Bulldog fight song is loud; people are going crazy. When we come through, that is how we start the game.”

Maupin said that when the Zia football team of seventh graders played in the Bulldog Bowl on Sept. 29, he told the players they would get to run through the banner and do the dogpile. The players were excited to get to do that. Maupin said that when he was a kid, he dreamed of doing a dogpile. He said there are videos of his nephews running through the house shouting,” We’re starting the football game, dogpile.”

Artesia quarterback Derrick Warren scrambles for a first down against the Goddard Rockets on Friday night. JT Keith | Artesia Daily Press.

“My daughters, they come and jump on me at night and say ‘Dogpile,’” Maupin said. “Or in the morning to wake me up by jumping on me, saying ‘dogpile’. It is just part of our tradition, and the kids get pumped to do it. They love it; it is such a unique way. People think we are crazy, but it is so much fun to be a part of it, and it is fun to watch it.<n>Maupin said the team does not practice the dogpile, and the key to it is positioning oneself as a player to tuck. Also, it is better to be on top or on the bottom, but not in the middle. The middle is the worst position.”

Maupin said that as a player, he could not wait to do the dogpile. He recounted how, as a player coming through the system, he was high-fiving quarterback club guys, and then, as you’re coming down the ramp with his teammates, he had tears in his eyes. He remembers saying that he had waited for this moment forever, and it was as good as he thought it would be.

“I remember my first year saying to myself, that I am going to go first and be on the bottom,” Maupin said. “I was too slow. I was in the middle, and then after that I was in the back.”

Maupin said that a lot of football opponents will not let their teams watch the Artesia dogpile before the games. He notes that other teams’ players are watching and thinking that it looks fun to do. Aztec said that they were willing to take a penalty so that they would not let their players watch the Bulldogs do the dogpile.

Republican Land Commission candidate visits Artesia

Michael Smith
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Republican Land Commission candidate visits Artesia

Mike Smith

Artesia Daily Press

msmith@currentargus.com

Protecting rural economies and balancing energy development are two goals Michael Perry has for the State Land Office.

The retired New Mexico Department of Game and Fish warden and assistant commissioner for the State Land Office was in Artesia Wednesday visiting business leaders, local officials, and members of the public at the Artesia Chamber of Commerce.

Perry is also in his third year on the Chaves County Board of Commissioners. He lives in Roswell and if elected he would like to open a sub office in southeast New Mexico.

Perry defines himself as a conservationist and believes in wise use of natural resources.

He is the lone Republican to declare so far.

Jonas Montoya, Juan Sanchez, and Matthew McQueen have declared to run as Democrats.

The winner in the 2026 General Election will replace Stephanie Garcia Richard, who cannot run again due to term limits.

Mitch Hibbard, left, chief operating officer of PVT meets with New Mexico State Land Commissioner Michael Perry on Wednesday at the Artesia Chamber of Commerce.

Mill levy will ensure quality service

Michael Smith
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Mill levy will ensure quality service

Jarrod Moreau
Chair, Artesia Special Hospital District

Artesia is a unique and close-knit community – one filled with pride, hard work, and a genuine commitment to taking care of one another. That spirit is reflected daily in the work done at Artesia General Hospital. From routine check-ups to life-saving emergency care, Artesia General Hospital remains dedicated to providing top-tier medical services while treating every patient like family.

If voters decide to approve the mill levy this November, it would ensure:

Support for local jobs-AGH employs over 430 staff members with total salaries exceeding $34 million, making it one of the largest employers in Artesia.

Expanded services – Levy funds have helped introduce several specialist lines such as cardiology, endocrinology, and expanded women’s health services.

Equipment Upgrades – Supporting the latest medical technology and facility upgrades. The district has upgraded the CT, added a state-of-the-art MRI, and most recently, the addition of the baby box.

As the elected board responsible for initiating the mill levy election and guiding the use of its funds, the Artesia Special Hospital District Board is committed to transparency, responsibility, and ensuring the long-term strength of a locally governed hospital. We’re proud to support a hospital that plays such an important role in the lives of our community members each and every day. The district conducted the recent mail-in special election in accordance with newly established election-mandated procedures by the NM Secretary of State. It had never been done that way before. The reason the district opted not to wait until November and have a special election was so the governing board of the hospital would not have to wait until they had basically a 60-day window to know how to move forward with their budget. Many citizens in the community reached out after the election stating that there was a significant amount of misunderstanding and confusion about the mail-in ballots. That experience helped guide how we’re approaching the upcoming election – going back to the polls in the general election to give the citizens another chance to vote their choice.

Thanks in large part to funding from the mill levy, Artesia General continues to grow and improve, offering expanded services and investing in advanced technology – all without changing the taxes our community has been paying since it was originally approved in 1979. The levy supports essential operations and allows the hospital to meet the needs of our growing community while keeping healthcare local.

Voting is one of the most powerful ways to make your voice heard. Take a moment to cast your ballot and help shape the future of our community. As part of the process, I encourage Artesia voters to learn more about the mill levy and its benefits – how it helps support local families, local jobs, and a healthcare system we can all be proud of and help ensure that Artesia General Hospital continues to provide high-quality care, now and for generations to come.

Government shutdowns should be unthinkable

Michael Smith
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Government shutdowns should be unthinkable

Sherry Robinson
All She Wrote

My husband has many fine qualities. One is that he has insurance.

During years of freelance writing, one thing I haven’t had to worry about is insurance coverage. But I’m acutely aware that circumstances haven’t favored many a fellow freelancer or with millions of other people who aren’t insured through an employer.

Critics may paint Obamacare as some form of socialized medicine that benefits bums, but from my perspective as a business journalist, it’s an economic underpinning for the self-employed and small businesses that can’t offer insurance. It’s indispensable to the entrepreneur, the artisan, the handyman and legions of workers like them.

What I hear from the insured is that it’s no-frills coverage. It could be better, but it’s affordable (barely). Now the “big beautiful bill” threatens to triple their premiums. If they’re unable to pay, their only choice is to go uninsured. That only works for the young and healthy.

So Democrats drew a line in the sand, and here we are in a government shutdown.

In “Breakdown: Lessons for a Congress in Crisis” former U.S. Sen. Jeff Bingaman provided a thoughtful history of government shutdowns and government dysfunction, which have worsened since he published the book in 2022. The down-to-earth Bingaman is a moderate Democrat who represented New Mexico for 30 years in the Senate. Norm Ornstein, of the American Enterprise Institute, called Bingaman a model senator and a “workhorse, not a show horse.”

When Bingaman became a senator in 1983, President Ronald Reagan was in his first term, Republicans controlled the Senate, and Democrats held the House. “Congressional leaders of both parties shared a sense of responsibility for keeping the government and the Congress functioning,” he wrote.

Members of Congress and the president observed norms about how their branches of government should function. Norms aren’t rules or laws but “understandings and traditions about how officeholders and institutions behave and interact,” Bingaman wrote. They’ve been called the “soft guardrails” of American democracy.

Norms ended when Newt Gingrich became Speaker of the House in 1994 and delivered government shutdowns in 1995 and 1996, introducing a new tactic in negotiations with the president, in this case Bill Clinton. Gingrich argued that the right not to pass money bills was the only weapon Congress had to counter the president’s veto. Bingaman argued then that Gingrich’s “right” was an abuse of power and contrary to the designs of the founding fathers.

In 2013 Republicans shut down government over the Affordable Care Act. ACA was then three and a half years old, but Republicans added language to the spending bill to delay its implementation. Democrats controlled the Senate, and Obama was still in office, so the Rs held up a continuing resolution and government closed.

Donald Trump in 2018 became the first president to shut down government over support for his border wall. Rep. Tom Cole, R-OK, worried about impacts on midterms, saying, “I don’t see how putting the attention on shutting down the government when you control the government is going to help you.” Trump waited until after the elections to shut down the government.

The same year, Democrats shut down government (Bingaman thought this was a mistake) over the legal status of Dreamers. After Republicans promised full debate of proposals to continue Dreamers’ legal protections, Dems approved the spending bill. They never got that debate.

And now the Rs want Dems to sign off with the promise that they’ll take up ACA premiums. It’s like Lucy urging Charlie Brown to kick that football she’s holding.

Throughout this turmoil, Bingaman believed that shutting down the government was “an ineffective and damaging way to gain leverage in a policy dispute” because it fails to achieve its purpose and reinforces public perceptions of government dysfunction.

He agreed with his friend, former Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tennessee, who said: “Shutting down the government of the United States of America should never, ever be used as a bargaining chip for any issue, period. It should be to governing as chemical warfare is to real warfare. It should be banned. It should be unthinkable.”

Bingaman worried in 2022 that we had reached a point where the public judges how serious a politician is on a given issue by whether he or she is willing to shut down government. “And the more demagoguery on display before the shutdown occurs, and during the shutdown, the more difficult it is to resolve the dispute,” Bingaman wrote.

That’s truer than ever, and it’s gotten much worse. Shutting down government is not only a weapon of the party out of power, currently it’s a weapon of the party wielding power.

Sherry Robinson is a longtime New Mexico reporter and editor. She has worked in Grants, Gallup, the Albuquerque Journal, New Mexico Business Weekly and Albuquerque Tribune. She is the author of four books. Her columns won first place in 2024 from New Mexico Press Women.

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