Conservation Voters New Mexico Condemns Final Budget Reconciliation Bill

Conservation Voters New Mexico Condemns Final Budget Reconciliation Bill
As Trump’s Congress Sides with Cruelty Over Common Sense, State Leaders Must Act

[Santa Fe] – Today, President Trump’s budget bill cleared the House on a final and narrow vote of 218-214, concurring with changes made in the U.S. Senate earlier this week. All of the House Democrats and two Republicans, Representative Fitzpatrick (PA) and Representative Massie (KY) voted “no.” The legislation now heads to Trump’s desk for signing, despite widespread backlash and the legislation’s numerous devastating provisions and tremendous fiscal impact. The final package includes provisions that will have a disproportionate impact on New Mexico and low-income families, including slashed funding for Medicaid and SNAP food assistance, repeal of Inflation Reduction Act dollars and tax credits, dismantled programs for workforce training and student loans, and more. In response, CVNM Chief Executive Officer Demis Foster issued the following statement: 

“Today, 218 members of Congress showed us that they are choosing to prioritize cruelty over common sense. Many families across the country are looking for respite, resources, and a safety net to survive. Instead, they’re getting the rug pulled out from under them. We want to make this clear: this inhumane legislation will result in severe suffering for many hard-working families. Its true cost will be the lives of so many who may perish without access to hospitals and health care. Not only will this bill eliminate widely popular programs that are stimulating our economy and creating jobs, like clean energy project development, it revokes the funding so many rely on for health care, insurance, and more. All of this will directly impact the communities who have been historically strategically undervalued and under-resourced, including LGBTQ+, Indigenous, BIPOC, youth, and women, by those in power. Trump’s Congress should be ashamed, especially those members who publicly stated the bill would harm Americans, but voted for it anyway because they negotiated kickbacks and carve outs for their state or district. We will remember this day as one in which leaders fundamentally turned their backs on Americans to the clear benefit of the billionaire elite. 

“We are grateful for the unwavering tenacity and fortitude of New Mexico’s Congressional Delegation – Senators Heinrich and Lujan, and Representatives

Stansbury, Leger Fernandez, and Vasquez – who have not only voted against this legislation, but have been outspoken advocates to protect our people from the bill from the very beginning. New Mexico’s delegation introduced amendments in debates, launched robust public awareness efforts, and directly challenged their colleagues supporting the legislation. Thank you for standing up for New Mexicans, and thank you for leading with courage. 

“To our state elected and appointed leaders: this legislation now shapes a clear path forward. We must do all that we can to build the firewall New Mexico needs to protect ourselves from the harms of today’s vote. We must have transformative legislative action to ensure New Mexicans have the resources and support they need, and to address the most severe crises of our time, including climate change. This is not game over. It’s game on!” 

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