Following the narrow passage of President Donald Trump’s tax and spending bill in the Senate, New Mexico’s Democratic Senators, Ben Ray Luján and Martin Heinrich, have issued strong condemnations, warning of the potential negative impacts on New Mexican families and communities.
The bill passed with a 51-50 vote, with Vice President JD Vance casting the tie-breaking vote, despite opposition from all Democrats and three Republicans.
Luján criticized the bill for gutting healthcare, stripping food assistance and jeopardizing rural hospitals and grocery stores, all while delivering “massive tax cuts to the ultra-wealthy and big corporations.” He also warned that the bill’s addition of over $3 trillion to the national debt would drive up interest rates, making essential costs like car loans and mortgages more expensive for families and increasing borrowing costs for small businesses and farmers.
“Senate Republicans just pushed through a budget bill that hurts New Mexican families. In their rush to meet President Trump’s demands, they voted blindly, with no regard for the harm this bill will inflict on all of our constituents,” Luján said.
Luján further detailed his efforts to mitigate the bill’s negative effects, noting that he backed several amendments aimed at protecting healthcare and nutrition programs and lowering costs for New Mexicans. These proposals, including motions to protect SNAP funding, strengthen Medicaid, increase resources for local law enforcement, invest in wildfire prevention, safeguard clean energy investments, and provide tax relief to the middle class and small businesses, were all blocked by Senate Republicans.
“This bill is not just bad policy – it’s a failure of leadership and a betrayal of New Mexico families, rural communities and American values,” Luján said.
Heinrich echoed Luján’s sentiments, saying he “stood up for New Mexico families by voting against Senate Republicans’ budget reconciliation that funds Republicans’ tax handouts for billionaires at the expense of working people.”
Heinrich said he pushed to amend the legislation, repeatedly voting to lower costs, block Medicaid cuts, protect rural hospitals, extend healthcare tax credits and prevent millions from losing health insurance.
“The largest cut to Medicaid in American history. The largest transfer of wealth to the rich in American history. The largest cut to food assistance in American history,” Heinrich said. “The largest increase to the national deficit in American history: That’s what this bill represents. And it has one effect — billionaires win, American families lose. It’s a betrayal of working families masquerading as legislation.”
While Heinrich successfully fought against provisions mandating the sale of public lands, which were removed in the final round of negotiations, he said the bill still has devastating potential consequences. Heinrich warned that if signed into law, the bill would hike electricity bills, leave tens of millions uninsured, cut food assistance for millions, shutter nursing homes, force rural hospitals to close (potentially 6 to 8 in New Mexico alone) and send health insurance premiums soaring.
Heinrich outlined numerous efforts blocked by Senate Republicans, including amendments to lower healthcare costs, protect food assistance (preventing 223,000 New Mexicans from losing SNAP benefits), prevent Medicaid cuts (which could lead to 90,000 New Mexicans losing coverage and four nursing homes closing), increase the Child Tax Credit, lower energy prices and provide permanent tax relief for overtime wages. He also filed amendments to protect veterans, prevent tax handouts for billionaires, and safeguard various environmental and immigration policies.
“Senate Republicans had a choice: stand with working families or bend to billionaires. They chose greed, cruelty, and a callous disregard for the people they represent,” Heinrich said. “New Mexicans and all Americans will suffer for it. I urge all Americans to raise their voices and call on their elected leaders in the House of Representatives to stop this disaster before it becomes law.”
The bill now moves to the House for debate and a final vote, before it heads to Trump’s desk.
New Mexico Political Report reached out to the Republican Party of New Mexico for a reaction to the bill passing the Senate but has not received a reply.
Here’s how some other New Mexico leaders reacted to the news of the bill passing the Senate.
Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham:
“We’re running out of time. The Senate passed the budget bill and now it’s back in the House for final passage. Call Republicans in Congress and tell them: grow a spine—don’t cut health insurance for 17 million Americans just to pay for massive tax cuts for billionaires.”
U.S. Representative Melanie Stansbury:
“While you were sleeping—Senate Republicans worked through the night cutting deals to buy votes on the floor. The deal? Gut healthcare for 20 million Americans, gut food assistance to 16 million, tank thousands of American homegrown jobs, and explode the debt by $5 trillion….and yes, corporations and the ultra-wealthy will still get their tax breaks.
So what’s different after all the wheeling and dealing? Well, they made it worse and now they get to go home and face the people they sold out and try to put their spin on it.
I’m on my way back to DC to vote a HELL NO on the House Floor.”
Democratic Party of New Mexico Chair Sara Attleson:
“If there was any doubt left who Republicans answer to, it’s undeniable they answer to the elite, not everyday working Americans. With just a few exceptions, Republicans once again proved to be spineless in failing to stand up to Trump and his billionaires-first agenda.
“This budget will actively transfer money from families working hard to get by to the country’s wealthiest. This budget will only make life better for a handful while attacking healthcare coverage, taking food off dinner tables, and killing good-paying jobs for millions — all to line the pockets of the GOP’s billionaire donors.
“We’re proud that all five of New Mexico’s Democratic Senators and Representatives opposed this Republican betrayal of the working class. I give you my word – DPNM won’t let New Mexicans forget how badly this bill hurts them going into midterms.”
