Hello fellow political junkies!

Both the U.S. House and Senate are in summer recess which means the members of Congress are holding events such as roundtables and tours in New Mexico.

Events are planned for the next few weeks including events last week with Rep. Gabe Vasquez, a Democrat representing the state’s 2nd Congressional District, visiting Carlsbad and Hobbs.

Vasquez went to Carlsbad where, aside from visiting Carlsbad Caverns for its 100th anniversary, he held an energy workers roundtable.

“I will always support the jobs and health of energy workers and the communities that drive the energy economy in New Mexico over the corporate CEOs who rake in millions and don’t even live in our state,” Vasquez said in a press release. “Meeting with Somos Un Pueblo Unido and hearing how the Southeast New Mexico College is providing job training opportunities to keep families in their communities like Carlsbad and Hobbs is how we come together to find ways to support our workers.”

Vasquez also visited the Hispano Chamber of Commerce in Hobbs where he spoke to chamber members about economic and workforce development in oil and gas country, the press release.

Members of the congressional delegation have events planned across the state this week including in Las Cruces, Santa Teresa Port of Entry, Ruidoso and Albuquerque.

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Election 2024

Vice President Kamala Harris announced her running mate will be Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota. Our own Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham was apparently on the short list of vice presidential contenders for the Democratic ticket in November. 

For more information about that read my story here. For more coverage of Harris being named the presumptive Democratic nominee in the wake of President Joe Biden leaving the race see NM Political Report stories here, here, here and here.

This is yet another chapter in the strangeness that this election cycle has produced. 

Other odd moments include former President Donald Trump getting shot at during an assassination attempt at a campaign rally that left two people dead including the shooter. 

Both of those happened in the space of two weeks in July. 

So far, August has been relatively quiet; I guess everyone is taking a break to watch the Olympics, preparing for their children to go back to school or reading 1930s dystopian novels. 

It is still summer, after all. 

However, Oct. 7 is right around the corner which means early/absentee voting begins. 

For more information about elections contact your local county clerk’s office which can also help you check on or update your voter registration, a process that can also be done online at NMVote.org. The Election Results 2024 will be posted to the New Mexico Secretary of State’s Office website after polls close at 7 p.m. on Nov. 5. It currently lists the 2024 primary results.

Meanwhile on the Hill

Congresswoman Teresa Leger Fernández, a Democrat from New Mexico, introduced the Telehealth Access for Tribal Communities Act of 2024, which seeks to protect access to essential healthcare services through audio-only telehealth for Medicare beneficiaries in tribal communities. 

“Not everyone has access to Zoom or the internet. Indeed, the folks most in need of healthcare services don’t. Access to healthcare should not be determined by zip code or internet speed,” Leger Fernández said in a press release. “For many tribal communities, audio-only telehealth services are a lifeline, providing vital access to medical professionals without the burden of travel. While audio-only telehealth should not be the only way to access healthcare services, it should be protected for those who may not have other options. The Telehealth Access for Tribal Communities Act will ensure that our elders, families, and those living in remote areas continue to receive the care they need.”

The bill seeks to extend the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency provision that allows audio-only telehealth services for Medicare beneficiaries receiving care through Indian health programs or urban Indian organizations beyond 2024. This provision addresses the persistent challenge of access to healthcare in Indian Country where many residents face long drives to see a medical professional and millions don’t have access to reliable high-speed internet.

As the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency expired in May 2023, IHS patients used audio only services 60 percent of the time and video 39 percent of the time.

Also:

  • On Aug. 5, Rep. Gabe Vasquez introduced H.R. 9301, the New Mexico Rural Veteran Health Care Access Act, aimed at improving health care access for rural veterans in Otero and Eddy Counties.
  • Sen. Martin Heinrich announced the bipartisan Senate Appropriations Committee passage of the Fiscal Year 2025 Defense, Energy and Water Development, Financial Services and General Government, and Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Bills. With Committee approval of these bills, Heinrich secured support for over $79 million for New Mexico, including over $39 million in congressionally-directed spending for 55 local projects between these bills and their House-companions. This is on top of the $221.4 million already included in other Committee-passed FY25 Appropriations bills. For more information visit here.
  • U.S. Senators Martin Heinrich and Ben Ray Luján, alongside 17 of their Senate colleagues, wrote a letter urging the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Commissioner to rely on scientific evidence and data as the FDA considers approval of MDMA-Assisted Therapy to treat Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. MDMA-AT could help address the mental and behavioral crisis, especially among American veterans. The letter can be read in its entirety here.

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