Congress & Federal Gov.

Proposed SNAP cuts would impact 450,000 New Mexicans

Democrats in the U.S. Congress are warning that proposed cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program will directly impact 450,000 New Mexicans and could have widespread impacts on the economy, not just on low-income people who rely on the benefits to put food on the table. U.S. Sens. Ben Ray Luján, D-New Mexico, and Amy […]

Heinrich, Vasquez bill to strengthen wildfire response heads to White House after passing Congress

Legislation aimed at improving the nation’s aerial wildfire suppression fleet has passed both chambers of Congress and is now awaiting the President’s signature. The Aerial Firefighting Enhancement Act of 2025, championed by U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and U.S. Representative Gabe Vasquez (D-N.M.), seeks to improve the ability to combat the year-round threat of wildfires. […]

Rep. Stansbury submits $3.3 million in Community Project Funding request for Estancia

Rep. Melanie Stansbury (D-NM) has submitted 15 Congressionally funded community projects totaling $158,450,000 for communities across New Mexico in the upcoming 2026 budget process. As the U.S. House of Representatives begins marking up appropriations bills this week, these proposals aim to address critical needs in public safety, housing, healthcare, education, and environmental protection. Stansbury’s funding […]

Rep. Stansbury submits $48 million in Community Project Funding requests for Sandoval County

Rep. Stansbury submits $158 million in Community Project Funding requests

Pueblo of Jemez ask Forest Service chief to visit

U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich, a New Mexico Democrat, has invited U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz to visit the Upper Pecos watershed following reports that the federal government has reversed a former moratorium on new mining operations. Heinrich sent a letter to Schultz highlighting the importance of the watershed to tribes and other communities in […]

New Mexico lawmakers warn of cuts to federal programs at Albuquerque town hall

U.S. Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-NM) and U.S. Representative Melanie Stansbury (D-NM) held a town hall meeting in Albuquerque on Tuesday to express concerns about proposed Republican legislation that they say would drastically cut critical federal programs. The lawmakers warned that Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security and SNAP benefits for New Mexicans are at risk. An […]

Affordable Clean Car Coalition forms in response to U.S. Senate vote

Governors of states that have implemented clean vehicle programs, such as New Mexico’s Advanced Clean Cars rule, are banding together following a U.S. Senate vote this week. The Senate voted 51-44 this week to overturn a waiver that allowed the State of California to set air pollution standards for vehicles that are stricter than the […]

New Mexico Republican party praises ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’

While all three of New Mexico’s representatives, all Democrats, voted against President Donald Trump’s domestic policy megabill, dubbed the “Big, Beautiful Bill,” local Republicans were showing support for the reform package that “puts Americans first.” U.S. Representatives Melanie Stansbury, Teresa Leger Fernández, Gabe Vasquez and every other House Democrat voted against the bill. Stansbury voted […]

If you must hold committee hearings at 1 am, what’s wrong with your bill?

This week, the administration’s budget-and-more bill passed the House by a single vote. After the Memorial Day recess, it will be heard by the Senate via the budget reconciliation process, meaning it can pass with a simple majority. It’s no secret that the federal budget process is broken. Case in point: this budget bill, with […]