Dear Friend,

In April, New Mexicans came together to support our communities devastated by the largest wildfire in our state’s history—started by federal prescribed burns. Today, I voted to send over $2.5 billion to New Mexicans affected by the Hermits Peak/Calf Canyon Fire to send federal dollars back to the communities hurt by the federal government.  
 
I am so proud to work alongside our congressional delegation to get this vital funding to our communities so we can continue the hard work of rebuilding and repairing as much as we can. This is a huge victory for our beautiful state, and I want you to know that I’m going to keep working hard each day until we can make New Mexicans whole again. Stay tuned for more updates here! 
 
This funding passed as part of what’s called a “Continuing Resolution” or “CR” to prevent a government shutdown and keep critical federal agencies open until December 16th, 2022. This is crucial to ensure that nutrition benefits and critical healthcare services continue to reach New Mexicans across our district. 
 
This Continuing Resolution is temporary, and I looking forward to working alongside my colleagues in the House and Senate to enact the full budget for Fiscal Year 2023. As we fight to pass a meaningful budget that provides the resources our communities need to thrive, it’s essential that we permanently remove the Hyde Amendment, a harmful budget provision that prohibits federal resources to support abortion care. The Hyde Amendment prevents New Mexicans who get their insurance through Medicaid from receiving abortion care, which means that politicians are able to limit a person’s health care options based on their income.  
 
This amendment disproportionately affects low-income women of color, and this has to change. Everyone — regardless of their income or who provides their insurance — should have the freedom to decide what health care they receive, and politicians should not be in the business of limiting these fundamental freedoms.  
 
More D.C. News: Attending the First White House Hunger Conference! 

 
This week, I was honored to join President Biden, fellow members of the bipartisan House Hunger Caucus, and national leaders on food insecurity to attend the first White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health in 50 years. Currently, 1 in 4 children in New Mexico experience hunger – that's why I was proud to vote to pass the Keep Kids Fed Act to protect children’s access to school meals, and why I’m working hard alongside my colleagues to address food insecurity for communities across New Mexico and the nation. During my service in the New Mexico State Legislature, I was proud to lead successful efforts to eliminate copayments for school meals and secure funding for the Governor’s Hunger Task Force. 
 
Updates on Student Debt Relief 
Recently, President Biden announced a Student Loan Forgiveness program to help free our families and young people from the crushing weight of student debt. I want to remind you that the Student Loan Forgiveness application is expected to open in early October and close by Dec. 31, 2023. If your annual federal income was below $125,000 (individual or married, filing separately) or $250,000 (married, filing jointly or head of household) in 2021 or 2020 you are considered eligible. 

• $20,000 in debt relief: If you received a Pell Grant in college and meet the income threshold. 
• $10,000 in debt relief: If you did not receive a Pell Grant in college, but meet the income threshold.  

To ensure you are prepared and receiving updates:  

• Log in to your account on StudentAid.gov and make sure your contact info is up to date. Updates will be through both email and text message, so make sure to sign up to receive text alerts. If it's been awhile since you've logged in, or you can't remember if you have an account username and password (FSA ID), please see tips to help you access your account. 
• If you don't have a StudentAid.gov account (FSA ID), you should create an account to help you manage your loans. 

Lastly, ensure your loan servicer has your most current contact information so they can reach you. If you don't know who your servicer is, you can log in and see your servicer(s) in your account dashboard. 
 
As always, if I can be of any assistance to you or your family, please do not hesitate to reach out to me or my staff at (505) 346-6781. If you’d like to keep up to date on what I am working on in Washington on behalf of New Mexico’s First Congressional District and our communities, you can subscribe to our newsletter here, and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. 
 

Warm Regards,



Melanie A. Stansbury
Member of Congress