New Mexico Democrats firmly stand against Trump’s handouts for the rich

On May 22, 2025 Early morning, House Republicans passed Donald Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” by a vote of 215-214 that would cut over $1 trillion from social safety net programs and force nearly $500 billion in cuts to Medicare over ten years, while still adding $2.4 trillion to national debt. 

Trump’s “billionaires first” budget bill would cut the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) by about $300 billion, or 30%, the biggest cut in the program's history. SNAP assists more than 40 million, many of them children, seniors, and individuals with disabilities. Roughly $15 million could lose health coverage due to the bill’s $716 billion in cuts to Medicaid. Millions with coverage under the Affordable Care Act would see their healthcare costs skyrocket because the bill fails to renew credits that make marketplace coverage affordable. 

It is no exaggeration to say that these cuts will be deadly in New Mexico as almost 880,000 are enrolled in Medicaid here, roughly 41% of our state’s population, with 34% of enrollees being children and 37% living in a rural area. New Mexico has roughly 451,200 residents who receive assistance from SNAP, or 21% of the state population, significantly higher than the national average. The pain felt by working New Mexicans by these cuts to critical programs would be exacerbated by the soaring consumer and grocery prices caused by Trump’s trade policy.  

“There’s no two ways about it, Donald Trump is attacking the working class so he can give tax handouts to billionaires. This will be the largest transfer of wealth from the working class to the rich in our country’s history,” said Democratic Party of New Mexico Spokesperson Daniel Garcia. “Many New Mexicans who rely on SNAP or Medicaid won’t be able to get the food and healthcare they need because of Trump’s ‘billionaires first’ budget. New Mexicans need food and healthcare more than Elon Musk needs a tax break.” 

The bill also eliminates a tax on gun silencers, halts clean energy credits while increasing oil drilling on public lands, funds mass deportation operations, and defunds Planned Parenthood. 

Representatives Teresa Leger Fernandez (NM-03), Melanie Stansbury (NM-01), and Gabe Vasquez (NM-02) all voted against Trump’s disastrous bill. It now heads to the Senate.