Cost of living and the economy: What should Congress do to reduce the cost of living for New Mexicans, particularly the costs of housing, food and energy, and what changes would you support in federal spending, taxes or tariffs to accomplish that?
We must immediately end the war in Iran and provide economic relief to all Americans at the pump, grocery store, and our farms and ranches. We must tackle affordability from every angle, including stopping private equity firms from buying our homes and raising prices.
Working with both parties, I passed a landmark law to bring down housing costs by cutting red tape, building more affordable homes and giving families more opportunities to buy their first home. We must ensure seniors on fixed incomes can afford the basics, supply adequate and affordable child and eldercare by passing my Careworker Visa Act, end tax breaks for billionaires and return that money to the people, cap prescription drug costs, and make no tax on tips permanent.
I also support ending the president’s reckless tariffs, which have damaged relations with our largest trading partners and cost New Mexico families over $1,700 more this year for everyday essentials like food, clothing, appliances, and cars.
Immigration and the border: New Mexico’s 2nd Congressional District includes much of the state’s border with Mexico. What changes would you make to current federal immigration and border policy, including border enforcement, legal immigration, asylum and the treatment of people already living in the United States without legal status?
I fully support removing violent criminals who are here illegally — and holding all violent criminals accountable regardless of their immigration status — but the Administration is not targeting the “worst of the worst.” Instead, ICE is terrorizing our Hispanic and Tribal communities and sweeping up our neighbors, grandmothers and gardeners, and a majority of immigrants in detention centers have no criminal record.
Both parties have failed for far too long on immigration, and in Congress, I have proposed my New American Immigration Plan as a commonsense path forward, investing in technology to keep our border secure and creating new legal pathways for workers in agriculture, childcare, construction and other critical industries.
This will help bring down costs for all Americans and give hardworking immigrants an opportunity to achieve legal status by working hard and playing by the rules.
Health care and federal programs: Medicaid and other federal health programs play a significant role in New Mexico, particularly in rural communities. What changes, if any, would you make to Medicaid, Medicare and the Affordable Care Act, and how would you improve access to health care in rural New Mexico?
We must immediately pass legislation to roll back the devastating cuts MAGA extremists made to healthcare under the “One Big Beautiful Bill,” which are pushing 89,000 New Mexicans off of their healthcare. These cuts have also forced eight rural hospitals serving folks in New Mexico’s 2nd Congressional district to cut services and consider closing their doors.
I am a proud cosponsor of the Protecting Healthcare and Lowering Costs Act, a bill to stop these devastating cuts to Medicaid and ACA tax credits and help ensure no one’s health is jeopardized because they can’t afford care. We must also cap prescription drug prices, and I am leading an effort in Congress to cap insulin at $35 per month for all New Mexicans, regardless of their insurance.
Additionally, no New Mexico family should have to live in fear of one injury or illness pushing them into bankruptcy. I introduced the Patient Debt Relief Act in Congress to help protect and provide relief to families who find themselves struggling to stay afloat due to medical debt.
Lastly, I will always support protecting and strengthening Medicare, including allowing Medicare to negotiate prescription drug prices to bring down your costs and expanding the healthcare workforce in rural communities.
Water, energy and economic development: Southern New Mexico faces limited water supplies while also seeking economic growth from agriculture, energy production and new industries such as data centers. What role should Congress and the federal government play in balancing economic development with water availability, energy needs and protection of public lands and natural resources?
I believe our public lands are America’s best idea, and I will always fight to protect them. In Congress, I founded the bipartisan Public Lands Caucus, working with both Democrats and Republicans to successfully stop the largest public lands sell-off in our nation’s history. By working across the aisle, we kept millions of acres of public lands in public hands.
We must also fiercely defend our water resources in New Mexico for our families, farmers, and future generations. The Administration’s reckless border well drilling that has depleted ranchers’ aquifers in Luna County and out-of-state data center developers have threatened our limited water supplies, and I have stood up to both to protect our water and way of life. The Rio Grande runs dry for far too long every year, and we must stand up for New Mexico’s water rights to keep the Rio Grande running.
For communities like Truth or Consequences, receding reservoirs like Elephant Butte mean less outdoor recreation tourism, which in turn hurts the local economy. In Congress, I have fought to bring water-smart technology and infrastructure investments home to New Mexico, from helping farmers adopt drip irrigation to upgrading aging water systems in our cities and towns. I will continue fighting to conserve our water, support all-of-the-above energy solutions, and best prepare New Mexico to adapt for a hotter, drier future.
The Bulletin asked each Dona Ana County candidate four questions to allow voters to assess where the candidates stands on important issues heading into the election. The questions vary for each office, but are the same for every candidate running for the same office.
