U.S. Rep. Melanie Stansbury hosted a town hall meeting inside a packed commission chambers at the Sandoval County Administration Building Monday afternoon.
Stansbury kept the large crowd waiting for about half an hour because of transportation issues, but entered to a thunderous ovation from most of the people in attendance.
Over 200 people showed up to hear the congresswoman speak, resulting in standing-room only in the chambers and an overflow room being set up in the lobby to allow about 20 people to watch Stansbury’s speech online. The crowd included representatives from Bernalillo, Placitas, Corrales and Sandoval County, Beth Dowling, chair of the Republican Party of Sanodval County, her counterpart with the Democratic Party of Sandoval County, Greg Bennett, one man holding a sign that read “Melanie has TDS (Trump Derangement Syndrome). Trump was right about everything,” and Sandoval County’s democratic commissioners, Joshua Jones and Katherine Bruch.
After being introduced by Jones, Stansbury, the Democrat representing New Mexico’s 1st Congressional District, criticized what she called the “big ugly bill” — referring to recent federal legislation that she said will cut Medicaid, Medicare and other social programs while providing permanent tax cuts to billionaires.
“It’s not hyperbole to say people are going to die because of these provisions,” Stansbury told the crowd.
The congresswoman said the legislation implements about 40% of Project 2025 policies and will require monthly paperwork renewals for Medicaid recipients, a change she estimated will cause 10 to 15 million Americans to lose coverage.
“Currently, if you’re a Medicaid-eligible person, you have to show your income level and demonstrate other factors that show you qualify,” she said. “What is now going to be required under this bill is, every month as a Medicaid recipient, you’re going to have to re-prove eligibility.”
Stansbury praised New Mexico’s response, saying Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and state legislators are using the state’s oil and gas revenue surplus to offset federal cuts to healthcare, food assistance and educational programs.
“We’re fortunate here in New Mexico, we have a lot of revenue coming in currently from oil and gas,” she said. “The leadership here in New Mexico is prepared to make sure that New Mexicans are okay.”
However, she cautioned that the state assistance would only last “a year or two” and called the situation unsustainable long-term.
Stansbury, a native New Mexican who grew up in Albuquerque’s North Valley and graduated from Cibola High School, represents 10 counties stretching from Sandoval County south to Roswell and east to Santa Rosa and Fort Sumner.
She described the current Congress as “the most dysfunctional” she has witnessed in over 10 years of federal service, citing a slim four-seat Republican majority in the House and ongoing infighting within party factions.
“I get to D.C. some days and they cancel votes while we’re on the floor,” she said. “We’re literally there and have already pushed the button, and then they change their minds.”
The congresswoman urged constituents to contact her office if they’ve been affected by federal funding cuts or job losses, noting that federal courts have issued hundreds of temporary restraining orders requiring the administration to restore illegally withheld funds and reinstate fired employees.
During a brief question-and-answer session, residents raised concerns about upcoming elections, Medicare costs, public land sales and immigration policy.
Stansbury concluded with a historical perspective, comparing the current political moment to previous periods of regression in American history that ultimately led to progressive reforms.
“I genuinely believe that we will get through what is a very dark and scary time,” she said. “I genuinely believe that we’re going to come out of this at the end and catapult our country forward into the most progressive time we’ve ever seen in the history of our country.”