Last week, New Mexico’s very own, Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland, announced $60 million through the Inflation Reduction Act for drought resiliency activities in the Rio Grande Basin below Elephant Butte Reservoir and into West Texas! These projects support approximately 200,000 acres of irrigated agriculture and will save tens of thousands of acre-feet of water annually. Reclamation facilities provide critical water and power for industry and communities, including right here in Albuquerque and Las Cruces. The Rio Grande Basin supports critical habitat for the Rio Grande silvery minnow and the southwestern willow flycatcher – designated as endangered under the Endangered Species Act. This funding is life-changing for farmers, ranchers, conservationists, and everyone in between—including our wildlife—because like I always say, water is life!

Fighting For Our Downwinders

As we know, New Mexico’s nuclear history is complicated and painful. For nearly 80 years, Tularosa downwinders have paid for the testing of the nuclear bomb with their lives. They weren’t warned of what would happen or given the opportunity to evacuate. Our Tularosa downwinders deserve justice for this tragedy, and I will not stop fighting until they get it. That’s why I spoke at a press conference recently with other members of New Mexico’s Delegation urging the Senate to reauthorize and expand the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act to include our downwinders! Once the bill goes through the Senate, House Speaker Mike Johnson must bring the bill to the floor for a vote immediately. Justice must be served. To watch my full remarks at the press conference, click here.

Ensuring Our Communities Have Clean Water

Every single person deserves access to clean drinking, bathing, and cooking water. But for far too long, our community in To’Hajiilee was lacking in the most basic of human rights. Thanks in part to Biden’s American Rescue Plan, that has changed! A 7.5-mile water pipeline will connect To’Hajiilee’s water system to Albuquerque’s. This has been a decades-long fight and generations in the making. I’m grateful to everyone who worked so hard on this project.

Protecting Our Elders

In New Mexico, it is part of our culture to care for our elders. We are raised to care for our parents, grandparents, uncles, and aunts as they age. That is why it is so outrageous to me, as a New Mexican, that conservatives in D.C. want to gut critical programs like Social Security and Medicare that ensure people across the country get the care and support they deserve. That’s why I will continually fight to expand these programs, so New Mexicans can live without fear of being left behind. To watch my full floor remarks, click here.

It is the honor of a lifetime to represent you in Congress. If I can assist you or your family, please do not hesitate to reach out to our District Office at (505) 346–6781! If you’d like to keep up to date on what I am working on in Washington, D.C., you can subscribe to our newsletter here and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

All my best,