Santa Fe- On June 7, 2021 House Republican Leader Jim Townsend sent a letter to the NM Department of Workforce Solutions (NMDWS), the NM Attorney General and Governor's office regarding concerning fraud claims and questions arising from constituents across the state. GOP Leader Townsend asked for an immediate investigation into fraud within NMDWS.

"The Department of Workforce Solutions has been riddled with problems throughout 2020, and COVID notwithstanding, it is very troublesome that halfway through 2021 Lujan Grisham has barely begun to even acknowledge how big the problem is. I am thankful that the serious claims of fraud within Workforce Solutions are being addressed however, the Governor and her administration have a lot of work ahead in restoring trust and ensuring that New Mexicans tax dollars are being properly used," said House Republican Leader Jim Townsend. "I don't think there is a day that goes by that myself or other lawmakers do not hear from a community member that has received prepaid debit cards from Workforce Solutions when they never applied for unemployment. This is a worrisome issue and could affect people for years to come if they are not careful in catching the fraud soon enough. I certainly hope that a full and transparent accounting of the missteps and a plan of action to remedy the problems occurs immediately."