Dear Friend,

I’m excited to share some big news for our district! The Senate just voted to pass a Fiscal Year 2023 budget that delivers historic investments in our families, workers, and communities—and we're about to vote in the House to send this budget to the President's desk tomorrow.

I’m proud that this budget contains major wins for New Mexico, including over $90 million to replace and rebuild the To’Hajiilee Community School, the passage of my New Mexico Education Enhancement Act to authorize a historic investment in early childhood education through dollars from our state’s Land Grant Permanent Fund, and funding for ALL 15 of my community project requests. This funding will invest in key projects that will support New Mexico’s biggest needs around public safety, veterans’ homelessness, housing, behavioral health, and economic development.

I visited the To'Hajiilee Community School during my third month in office, where I met community members who have been working for a new school facility for years.

Here’s a glimpse of the important projects and initiatives that will receive this funding:
Projects to Address Public Safety, Behavioral Health, and Health Care Needs  

• $410,721 for N.M. Forensic Laboratories to get fentanyl and other drugs off the street.
• $1.45 million for Sandia Pueblo’s EMS and Fire Station to decrease response times and enhance emergency response services for the Pueblo.
• $2.8 million for the N.M. Department of Public Safety’s Mobile Crisis Team, which will provide acute mental health crisis stabilization services in communities across the state. 
• $2.2 million to the Albuquerque Sobering Center—a facility that will be the first of its kind in Albuquerque—to divert individuals with low acuity intoxication to a safe place to gain sobriety and access treatment, housing and other needs.
• $1 million for the First Nations Community HealthSource Behavorial Health Clinic Expansion, which will help the clinic increase its integrated services to more than 15,000 urban Indigenous community members currently without access to care.
• $422,000 for Two Mobile School-Based Health Centers that will provide medical, dental, and mental health care services to serve over 2,500 Albuquerque Public School students and their families.

Projects Tackling Veteran’s Homelessness, Housing, Hunger, and Water Security

• $300,000 for the first all-veteran transitional housing campus in New Mexico that will include 42 beds for Veterans and their families. 
• $1.5 million for the Albuquerque Homeless Youth Center to provide the first dedicated facility for youth experiencing homelessness in Albuquerque, including a safe, transitional environment for unstably housed young people.
• $750,000 for Albuquerque Health Care for the Homeless to expand health care and social services.
• $712,500 to expand the East Mountain Food Pantry to help address food insecurity in the East Mountains, Torrance, and Sandoval Counties.
• $3 million to the Town of Mountainair to improve its wastewater treatment facilities and address long overdue water challenges.

Projects to Grow New Mexico’s Economy, Jobs, and Rural Opportunities

• $1.5 million to the Sandoval County Animal Shelter to provide emergency veterinary care to rural communities in Sandoval County and to grow more rural jobs and opportunities.
• $1.5 million for UNM/Sandia Labs STEM Pipeline to expand UNM’s capacity to train the next generation of STEM leaders in cybersecurity and data science.
• $600,000 for the Albuquerque Adult Learning Center’s adult literacy and job training programs for communities in the International District.
• $650,000 for Families First Economic Justice Project to support the Partners for Community Action to help families, particularly in the South Valley, access capital and grow businesses.

In addition to $18 million in funding for my community project requests, I’m proud that this budget also includes other major wins we secured for New Mexicans, including:

• $90.4 million to replace and rebuild the To’Hajiilee Community School, which has been severely impacted by flooding and a Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) construction backlog. Earlier this year, I led a letter to the leadership of the House Appropriations Committee urging additional funding for BIE schools. I can’t tell you how much this means. Since 1995, the To’Hajiilee Community School has faced flooding and crumbling facilities that has caused repeated interruptions to in-person learning. That is why this funding is so important!
  
  
• $1.45 billion in additional funding to support New Mexicans impacted by the devastating Hermit’s Peak/Calf Canyon Wildfires. In September, I was proud to join members of our New Mexico Congressional Delegation to secure $2.5 billion in aid to support our impacted communities.
  
  
• The passage of Senator Heinrich’s and my Early Education Enhancement Act – a bill that honors the voices of New Mexicans and provides congressional authorization to unlock a historic investment in our kids and their early education from New Mexico’s Land Grant Permanent Fund. This was a team effort with Senator Ben Ray Luján and Congresswoman Teresa Leger Fernández.
  
  
• The passage of my Colorado River Basin Conservation Act to reauthorize the Colorado River System Conservation Pilot Program. This critical program helps to keep water flowing to our communities, supports our water security, and encourages water conservation across the Colorado River Basin.
  
  
• The passage of my legislation to rename the U.S. Post Office facility in Belen in honor of former U.S. Senator Dennis Chávez. Senator Chávez, the first American-born Hispanic Senator, worked to advance civil rights, education, conservation, and economic development in New Mexico and across the nation.

These are just some of the ways that this long-term budget invests in the needs and priorities of communities across our state. You can learn more about the ways in which this budget will support working families across New Mexico and the nation on my website.

The wins we secured in this year’s omnibus budget are a result of the persistent and tireless work of House and Senate Democrats who are dedicated to delivering the resources and funding our communities need to thrive. I was proud to vote to pass this budget to keep the federal government open and working for the people, and as we enter a new year, I promise to continue to fight alongside my colleagues for meaningful legislation that invests in the needs of working families across New Mexico.

As we continue our celebrations of the holidays and begin a new year, I want you to know that I am here fighting the good fight every day for our communities and am only a phone call away. 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.

Wishing you all the Happiest of Holidays, Happy Hanukkah, and a very Merry Christmas!

With my warmest regards and lots of holiday gratitude and cheer,



Melanie A. Stansbury
Member of Congress