AmeriCorps Axed; Shooting Survivor Sues Rio Arriba

This week on New Mexico in Focus, we turn our attention to federal cuts made to AmeriCorps, the government agency that’s trained generations of Americans to help others. Until recently, AmeriCorps employed thousands to help others statewide — from Taos to Ruidoso, and in cities and pueblos in between. Now, the federal agency is a shadow of what it once was, as most of its staff have been fired and millions of dollars in federal grants have been axed. Host Nash Jones speaks with U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., to discuss President Trump’s gutting of AmeriCorps, and what he and the state are doing about it.   

The Albuquerque Sign Language Academy is one of several local programs hit hard by the AmeriCorps cuts. Jones recently sat down with Rafe Martinez, the academy’s director, as well as former AmeriCorps board member Alvin Warren to discuss the federal cuts and their impact in communities across the state. 

State Sen. Jay Block, R-Rio Rancho, introduced a bill during this year’s legislative session to create a program similar to the Department of Government Efficiency. Unlike DOGE, Block tells senior producer Lou DiVizio that his proposed program will not shrink the government workforce, nor target what the Trump administration calls “woke propaganda.” 

In September 2023, Jacob Johns was shot will attending a celebration of Rio Arriba County’s decision to delay installing a statue of Spanish conquistador and war criminal Juan de Oñate. Now, Johns and another demonstrator are suing county officials for allegedly failing to keep them safe. Searchlight New Mexico’s Joshua Bowling, who was first to report on the lawsuit, sat down with Johns in our studio to discuss the case and why Johns believes the county violated his civil rights that day. 

Host: Nash Jones 

Segments: 
U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich on Major Cuts to AmeriCorps 
Host: Nash Jones 
Guest: U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M. 

AmeriCorps Cuts Disrupt NM Programs 
Host: Nash Jones 
Guests: 
Alvin Warren, Former AmeriCorps Board Member 
Rafe Martinez, Director, Albuquerque Sign Language Academy 

NM Sen. Jay Block on Creating State Program Similar to DOGE 
Correspondent: Lou DiVizio 
Guest: NM Sen. Jay Block, R-Rio Rancho 

Oñate Protest Shooting Survivor Sues Rio Arriba County 
Correspondent: Joshua Bowling 
Guest: Jacob Johns, Plaintiff, Shooting Survivor