Rio Grande Foundation

The Wall Street Journal ran an article on January 19, 2009, outlining several allegations of state corruption in New Mexico and pointing to the state's lack of comprehensive ethics laws as a possible cause.[https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB123233959874194545 New Mexico's Political Wild West] On January 29, The Wall Street Journal published a letter by Rio Grande Foundation president Paul Gessing, suggesting that government transparency would improve New Mexico's political situation. Gessing pointed out that the legislature had failed to follow through with any of the proposed ethics reforms of recent years. He suggested that the legislature begin Webcasting its sessions to give citizens the opportunity to monitor their government's actions.[https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB123327955696531745 Land of Enchantment's Culture Hurts Transparency]

In 2009, the Rio Grande Foundation president Paul Gessing criticized the creation of a Department of Motor Vehicles and Hispanic Affairs Department in New Mexico, an idea proposed in two bills introduced in the New Mexico legislature. In an interview with the Santa Fe New Mexican, Gessing said, "the last thing we need is to hire more highly-paid cabinet-level state bureaucrats."[https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/207932153/s Proposed agency add-ons hit sore spot], Santa Fe New Mexican (February 24, 2009).

The Rio Grande Foundation "made a big splash" in its fight against a streetcar project in Albuquerque; several members of the group spoke in opposition to the streetcar at the City Council, and the Foundation supported an anti-streecar group called Stop Wasting Albuquerque Taxes (SWAT).Jim Scarantino, [http://www.weeklyalibi.com/index.php?story=18250&scn=news Free Market, Free Thinking: A Conversation with Paul Gessing of the Rio Grande Foundation], Weekly Alibi, Vol. 16., No. 11 (March 15–21, 2007).

In 2024, Rio Grande Foundation President Paul Gessing authored an opinion editorial that defended Representative Larry Scott's conservative record against attacks from his Republican primary opponent, Steven McCutcheon II. Gessing wrote a follow-up letter to the editor "at the 'behest' of McCutcheon's campaign consultant reiterating the foundation doesn't endorse candidates and also that McCutcheon ranked as the fourth-most conservative member of the Senate."{{Cite web |last=Chacón |first=Daniel |date=2024-04-15 |title=Republicans duke it out over southeastern N.M. Senate seat |url=https://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/local_news/republicans-duke-it-out-over-southeastern-n-m-senate-seat/article_845e3578-fb2e-11ee-b44a-77625fb72ad6.html |access-date=2024-04-18 |website=Santa Fe New Mexican |language=en}}

In 2025, the Rio Grande Foundation opposed a paid family and medical leave bill by distributing mock-up mailers targeting Reps. Doreen Gallegos and Art De La Cruz. The mailers, delivered by RGF Action, the foundation's 501(c)(4) arm, praised or criticized the lawmakers based on their stance. De La Cruz called it intimidation, especially since his mailer was left at his home, while Gessing defended it as standard political strategy. Gallegos said, "I thought it was a form of intimidation."

Said Gessing, "I think it's safe to say that we want to make sure that people who vote for this tax increase, this massive expansion of government burden on the taxpayers, at least as originally formulated in the current bill, [know] we're going to pull out all the stops and fight this expansion of government."{{Cite web |last=Chacón |first=Daniel |date=2025-02-07 |title=Lawmakers claim intimidation, bullying by opponents of paid family and medical leave |url=https://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/legislature/lawmakers-claim-intimidation-bullying-by-opponents-of-paid-family-and-medical-leave/article_375e92f2-e59a-11ef-a357-53eae8df0573.html |access-date=2025-02-13 |website=Santa Fe New Mexican |language=en}}

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• {{official website|http://www.riograndefoundation.org}}
• [http://nccsweb.urban.org/communityplatform/nccs/organization/profile/id/850468446/popup/1 Organizational Profile] – National Center for Charitable Statistics (Urban Institute)

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Category:Charities based in New Mexico

Category:Government watchdog groups in the United States

Category:Organizations based in Albuquerque, New Mexico

Category:Tax reform in the United States