SW New Mexico News

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Following his thorough review of the Fiscal Responsibility Act, Representative Gabe Vasquez (NM-02) will support the compromise legislation to protect the full faith and credit of the United States and avoid a catastrophic default that would cause crippling impacts to the economy and hurt Veterans, students, seniors and families in need of food assistance. 

WATCH: Vasquez Shares His Support of the Fiscal Responsibility Act

“It’s frustrating and dangerous that we had to be at the brink of default for Washington to agree on a deal,” said Vasquez. “The reality is that this is an irresponsible action, but we have to appreciate that we were able to avoid $130 billion in cuts that would have hurt many working families. In this compromise, we were able to secure veterans’ health care, Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid coverage, while keeping critical funding for infrastructure and programs that will bring jobs to New Mexico intact. But Washington must stop operating in a culture of chaos - the potential default we faced shows us how fragile our democracy truly is. We must do more to protect the integrity of good governance and to legislate in support of working-class families.”

As part of the negotiations, Republicans pushed to include stricter work requirements for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) that would cripple the ability of New Mexicans to put food on the table, many of them facing dire medical conditions.

Vasquez added, “I represent one of the most low-income districts in the country, where one in four children lives in poverty, and their families rely heavily on programs like SNAP to eat. That’s why I am frustrated that out-of-touch Republicans wanted to restrict access to SNAP to reach a deal while continuing to give away billions of dollars in tax breaks to corporations and the rich.”

While Vasquez voted for the bill, he does not agree with the entire bill, including provisions that were added to limit renewable energy development and erode the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process.

“My district is one with the most renewable energy development potential. The final bill added a three-year study to evaluate the impacts of transmission generation, which is simply a delay to limit renewable energy development and prop up the fossil fuel industry,” added Vasquez. “This bill picks energy development winners and losers, and that’s at the expense of taking strong climate action, potential jobs and economic development that we should prioritize. I want to work with my colleagues on true permitting reform because it should be decided by Congress, not in backdoor negotiations about the debt ceiling.”

Vasquez has prioritized finding bipartisan solutions by introducing multiple bills with his Republican colleagues, including the Wolf and Livestock Fairness Act, the Joint Task Force to Combat Opioid Trafficking Act, the Expanding Regional Airports Act and the Farm Workforce Support Act. 

“No one wins with Washington’s gridlock and dysfunction. That’s why I’ve worked with both Democrats and Republicans to get things done for my constituents,” Vasquez concluded.

Background

•    The Wolf and Livestock Fairness Act with Rep. Greg Stanton (R-AZ-04). This bill helps ranchers by increasing the federal reimbursement compensation to 100 percent of the value of cattle loss and additionally, compensates ranchers for decreased herd sizes.

•    The Joint Task Force to Combat Opioid Trafficking Act with Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA-01), Rep. Juan Ciscomani (R-AZ-06), and Rep. Chris Deluzio (D-PA-17). This bill strengthens border security operations to detect, interdict, disrupt and prevent narcotics like fentanyl from being smuggled into the United States. 

•    The Expanding Regional Airports Act with Rep. Tracey Mann (R-KS-01). This bill helps smaller airports access much-needed federal funding to bring additional commercial services.

•    The Farm Workforce Support Act with Rep. Juan Ciscomani (R-AZ-6). This bill creates a path to H-2A visa reform that works for New Mexico’s farmers while ensuring farmworkers are paid fair wages and have adequate housing conditions, among other reforms.

Issues: Congress Economy Veterans

Original source can be found here.