Staff Report – Congressman Gabe Vasquez, a Democrat representing most of Southern New Mexico and Albuquerque’s Westside, laid into Republican efforts this week cutting SNAP benefits to fund the “big beautiful bill” being crafted to implement President Donald Trump’s immigration and tax policies.
During committee debate, Vasquez offered examples of New Mexicans he says would lose access to critical food and nutrition currently made available through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as food stamps, and New Mexico farmers who grow and supply food paid for through the federally-funded program.
“This committee has historically come together across party lines to support farmers and families. But today, I’m ashamed that we are throwing that legacy aside to gut SNAP, one of the most effective anti-hunger programs in our country,” Vasquez told committee members. “And I’m not just ashamed—I’m angry. Angry because some members of this committee are taking food off the table from the families I represent in southern New Mexico.”
The House leadership’s bill draft would reduce federal payments in some states, requiring state and local governments to either reduce benefits for those needing food assistance or cut into state budgets to fund the gap, according to reporting from the Washington Post.
Watch Vasquez’s remarks in the video.
