New Mexico’s U.S. senators joined the vast majority of their Democratic colleagues Tuesday in pressing the Trump Administration to dramatically expand humanitarian aid to Gaza and resume diplomatic efforts to end the war between Israel and Hamas.
Senators Martin Heinrich and Ben Ray Luján signed onto a written letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff expressing “alarm about the humanitarian crisis in Gaza” and calling for large-scale aid expansion as the situation worsens daily.
The letter, signed by 44 Democratic senators, comes as Gaza faces a catastrophic hunger crisis. The World Health Organization reports that all 2.1 million people in Gaza are facing food insecurity, with a quarter of the population enduring “famine-like conditions.” More than 1,000 Palestinians have been killed while seeking food aid since May, according to UN officials.
“The humanitarian crisis in Gaza is unsustainable and worsens by the day,” the senators wrote in the letter. “Hunger and malnutrition are widespread, and, alarmingly, deaths due to starvation, especially among children, are increasing.”
The letter specifically criticizes the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a U.S.-backed organization that received $30 million in State Department funding but which Democrats say has “failed to address the deepening humanitarian crisis and contributed to an unacceptable and mounting civilian death toll around the organization’s sites.”
The letter comes as President Trump recently broke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, saying he wanted Netanyahu to “make sure they get the food” in Gaza. Trump announced plans for U.S. food centers to address the humanitarian crisis, but provided no details.
Heinrich and Luján’s participation continues their previous advocacy for humanitarian concerns in the region. Both senators voted in November 2024 to block offensive weapons sales to Israel as part of 19 Democratic senators supporting measures introduced by Sen. Bernie Sanders.
The letter calls for the return of Israeli hostages held by Hamas since the October 7, 2023 attack, while also urging “a large-scale expansion of humanitarian assistance and services throughout the Gaza Strip.” The senators reaffirmed their support for a two-state solution and opposition to the permanent displacement of Palestinians.The full letter and its 44 signatories can be found here.
Bullshit. They all took money from AIPAC! Hypocrites