New Mexicans who receive federal food stamp benefits started receiving state-funded help Saturday to buy groceries as the legal fight over federal funding continues.

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said in a statement Friday she had “zero confidence” the Trump administration would release funds for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program promptly despite two court orders to do so.

“New Mexico will keep its promise to deliver $30 million in state-funded benefits to those who qualify on Saturday,” she said.

The state benefits, about 30% of each recipient’s monthly allotment, will be loaded onto participants’ regular electronic benefits transfer cards used for SNAP.

New Mexico has the highest per-capita SNAP participation rate in the country, with around 460,000 people, or 21% of the po

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