New Mexico ranchers, farmers and tribal communities stand to gain nine new federal protections after U.S. Rep. Gabe Vasquez joined just 13 other House Democrats in voting to advance the first Farm Bill since 2018 — breaking years of partisan gridlock that has stalled the legislation.
Vasquez secured bipartisan support for all nine of his priority provisions, including one that unanimously condemned the Trump administration’s push to prioritize Argentinian beef imports over domestic cattle production and directed the USDA to study the impact of such imports on U.S. ranchers. Other provisions cut permit red tape for ranch improvements, expanded SNAP eligibility to cover rotisserie chicken, lowered rural energy costs by classifying waste energy recovery as renewable and strengthened USDA access for 1994 land-grant Tribal Colleges and Universities.
“This Farm Bill is proof that it’s still possible to make progress in Washington if you’re willing to work across the aisle,” Vasquez said in a statement.
The New Mexico Cattle Growers Association and New Mexico Farm & Livestock Bureau both praised Vasquez’s role, according to a press release from Vasquez’s office, with Cattle Growers President Thomas Paterson crediting the bill for recognizing that “responsible stewardship and a resilient agricultural economy go hand in hand.”
Vasquez, however, noted the bill’s limits. He voted for amendments that would have reversed SNAP cuts included in the Republican tax law — cuts he said harm seniors, children, veterans and people with disabilities — but those provisions were stripped from the final bill. The legislation now heads to the Senate.
Additional provisions secured by Vasquez:
- A virtual fencing pilot program at USDA, modeled on an existing program at New Mexico State University
- A farmer-to-farmer education program through USDA-funded cooperatives
- Expanded wildlife habitat protections on working lands
- Direct tribal procurement of culturally relevant foods for Native seniors under the Commodity Supplemental Food Program
- Vasquez also backed a bipartisan amendment that removed liability protections for large pesticide companies
Track the Farm Bill in the Senate:
- U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee: agriculture.senate.gov
- Contact Rep. Vasquez’s office: vasquez.house.gov | (202) 225-2365
- Contact Sens. Martin Heinrich and Ben Ray Luján via senate.gov