New Mexico lawmakers will convene in the capital city Wednesday — some reluctantly — for a special session that could coincide with the first day of a federal government shutdown.

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham called for the session earlier this month to backfill federal budget cuts and create new systems to handle looming changes to Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as food stamps.

Though lawmakers are still hammering out the financial details, the general appropriations bill the Legislature is poised to consider totaled about $165 million as of Thursday, including the cost of the session, which Democratic leaders expect to last only a couple of days.

The proposed spending is a short-term fix.

While New Mexico is on strong financial footing, at least

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