U.S. Representative Melanie Stansbury (D-NM) didn’t just vote against the domestic policy megabill dubbed the “Big, Beautiful Bill” by President Donald Trump. She voted “hell no.”
The bill passed the House narrowly with a 215-214 vote early Thursday.
In a statement released after the vote, Stansbury condemned the bill as a “shameful package” that will “strip millions of veterans, working families, and children of access to healthcare and food assistance—in order to provide permanent tax breaks to billionaires.”
The proposed legislation would extend the 2017 tax cuts, increase military spending and border security funding, and allocate funds for mass deportations. It also aims to eliminate taxes on tips and overtime pay, fulfilling campaign promises.
The bill includes significant spending cuts to Medicaid and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), rescinds clean energy tax credits from 2022 and raises the debt ceiling by $4 trillion.
“Nearly 14 million Americans will lose access to healthcare, 18 million children will lose access to food assistance and school meals, and millions of seniors will be impacted by cuts to Medicare,” Stansbury said. “This is not what the American people voted for and the GOP knows it.”
She also highlighted the bill’s potential impact on New Mexico, noting that the state’s low-income families would be among the hardest hit.
Every single House Democrat, including Congresswoman Teresa Leger Fernández (D-NM3), voted against the legislation.
“This so-called budget is not just morally bankrupt—it’s downright cruel,” Leger Fernández said. “It throws families off their health care, takes food away from hungry children, attacks women’s rights, repeals clean energy investments, and will force rural clinics to close across states like New Mexico—just to give billionaires another tax break.”
The bill was passed after 29 straight hours of debate, with Republicans allegedly attempting to “sneak this bill through in the dead of night,” according to Stansbury.
“I didn’t leave the Capitol —didn’t sleep— for two days straight to fight back because the American people deserve to know what’s in this bill. And I will keep calling out their lies every step of the way,” Leger Fernández said. “Republicans say that this won’t increase the deficit, but they know it adds trillions to the debt. They say it supports low-income Americans–but in reality, it’s the largest transfer of wealth from the poor to the rich in American history. The American people deserve to know the truth. I will continue to fight every step of the way to stop it.”
The bill now heads to the Senate, which is controlled 53-47 by Republicans.
Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-NM) echoed Stansbury’s concerns after Thursday’s House vote.
“House Republicans just voted to gut Medicaid and SNAP, programs that thousands of New Mexicans rely on every day.”
He warned that the bill would “strip health care from working families, take meals away from children and seniors, and slash support for those who need it most.”
Luján also predicted the potential dangers for New Mexico.
“In New Mexico, the consequences would be devastating. Slashing Medicaid means hospitals will close their doors, families across the state will lose access to care, and doctors, nursing homes, and home care providers will face deep payment cuts,” Luján said.
Yeah, voting against no tax on tips, no tax on social security, no tax on overtime, boosting standard deductions, expanding low-income housing tax credits, funding for border security, funding for the “Golden Dome” missle defense system, and tax relief for families with children just sounds aweful. The only HELL NO vote should be against those that pretend to represent us. Good luck getting re-elected. I’ll put this in the same folder as their vote against keeping men out of women sports. Flip NM Red