Dear Friends,

Today, extreme Washington Republicans brought us one day closer to a government shutdown on October 1. I went to the House floor this morning to let the American people know how the Republicans’ spending bill would harm our children, defund law enforcement, and slash funding for rural America. Thankfully, this dangerous spending bill failed to pass.

Watch me speak out against the Republicans’ extreme spending bill here.

Democrats and Republicans came together this summer to pass the Fiscal Responsibility Act that created a bipartisan budget deal. Now, extreme Washington Republicans have gone back on their word. They have threatened to shut down the government and we know their goal is to 1) cut social security which 461,134 New Mexicans rely on, 2) slash federal public school funding which would impact over 700 of our schools, and 3) ban abortion nationwide — which goes against New Mexican values to honor a woman’s freedom to make health care choices in consultation with her faith, loved ones and medical doctors.

Shutdown Impact on New Mexico

A government shutdown will bring serious and unnecessary harm to New Mexico. If Washington Republicans shut down the government:

1. 11,478 active duty and reserve personnel serving our nation's armed forces in New Mexico would be forced to go without the pay they earn during a shutdown.

2. The Small Business Administration would stop processing small business loans, halting a program that provides $140,164,200 in funding to small businesses in New Mexico every year.

3. 5,009 people flying through New Mexico airports every day would face potential delays and safety concerns due to staffing impacts on TSA agents and air traffic controllers.

4. 36,719 people in New Mexico would soon lose access to Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) benefits.

5. 25,967 federal workers in New Mexico would be furloughed or forced to work without pay, in addition to the many employees of businesses with government contracts who could be laid off, furloughed, or see their hours cut.

6. Workers at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) would be sidelined, risking interruptions and delays to the 58 food safety, pharmaceutical manufacturing, and other inspections conducted in New Mexico last year.

7. The Department of Agriculture would be forced to stop processing housing loans, which provide $51,776,411 in funding to help 312 families in rural New Mexico communities buy homes every year.

8. The Department of Agriculture would be forced to stop processing farm loans which provide $51,761,000 in funding for farmers in New Mexico every year.

9. 484,576 Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) beneficiaries in New Mexico would lose access to benefits in a prolonged shutdown.

10. 2,261,573 people who visit national parks in New Mexico every year would be turned away or unable to fully access parks, monuments, and museums.

11. State governments would be forced to pay for federal services like the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program, potentially risking benefits for the 25,617 TANF beneficiaries in New Mexico.

Constituent Services 

During a government shutdown, most federal workers who could help resolve a problem would have been told they have to go home. However, please know that you can continue to call my office about issues with a federal agency, and we will do all we can to help. You may reach us at (505) 428-4680.

To keep up to date on how the shutdown is affecting New Mexicans and our federal agencies, you can also visit my website at https://fernandez.house.gov/resources/government-shutdown-resource-guide.