New Mexico state agency CFO files lawsuit alleging $83M budget shortfall from universal childcare

By: Joshua Bowling

Outlets: Source New Mexico

Published: July 30, 2026

Words: 548

Last Updated: 3 days, 8 hours ago

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The New Mexico Early Childhood Education and Care Department’s chief financial officer is suing the department and alleging that its leaders retaliated against her for raising concerns that the implementation of the universal childcare program late last year caused an $83 million budget shortfall.

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Carmel Pacheco-Aragon filed the whistleblower protection lawsuit in the state’s First Judicial District Court late Wednesday evening. In the lawsuit, she …

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