SANTA FE — Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham is headed to Washington D.C. for five days of political meetings and hobnobbing with fellow governors and top federal officials.
The Democratic governor, who started her second term last month, left New Mexico on Tuesday to attend the National Governors Association’s winter meeting, according to the Governor’s Office.
While in the nation’s capital, Lujan Grisham will also attend a Western Governors Association meeting with Cabinet secretaries in President Joe Biden’s administration, along with a discussion on youth mental health issues with New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy and U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy.
The NGA’s three-day meeting will wrap up with a White House reception hosted by Biden and his wife, First Lady Jill Biden. The governor will then return to New Mexico on Sunday, a spokeswoman said.
Lujan Grisham was also in Washington D.C. last month to undergo a knee replacement surgery. However, she returned to New Mexico to deliver the annual State of the State Address on the opening day of this year’s 60-day legislative session.
As for the cost associated with the governor’s latest travel, Lujan Grisham spokeswoman Nora Meyers Sackett said the expenses would be paid by taxpayer dollars since the trip is part of Lujan Grisham’s official duties.
Per the state Constitution, Lt. Gov. Howie Morales will serve as acting governor while Lujan Grisham is traveling out of state.
