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WASHINGTON — In an interview with Jim Sciutto on CNN’s The Situation Room, U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) slammed Elon Musk and Donald Trump’s actions that are wreaking havoc on New Mexicans and throwing the government into chaos.
During the interview, Heinrich vocalized the concerns of his constituents who continue to write-in and call his office, opposing Trump’s harmful actions and raising the impacts of those actions on their livelihoods and financial security.
“No one voted to have Elon Musk in charge of their personal data. No one voted to have him ransacking federal agencies that many of my constituents rely on for various things. That is where I think we need to really draw a contrast that, at least for my constituents, they voted for lower gas prices, they voted for cheaper eggs. They did not vote for this chaos,” Heinrich said.
VIDEO: U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) on CNN’s The Situation Room, February 4, 2025.
On Tulsi Gabbard’s Nomination:
Sciutto asked, “You voted against her, calling her ‘a national security risk.’ Why?”
Heinrich said, “One, there's the issue of whether she's qualified, but much more weighing on my mind than that is the issue of judgment. And if you look at some of her actions, especially her travel in the Middle East — with her background — when we travel to places like that, as members of Congress, we go with the State Department. Every meeting is carefully vetted. That is not what this was.”
Heinrich continued, “She met with the Grand Mufti of Syria who had threatened suicide bombers against the United States. She met with Bashar al-Assad. My goodness, I can't imagine a more off script foreign policy trip. And if that's how you roll, and you're going to be in charge of coordinating all of these intelligence agencies, and you don't accept the information that comes from those agencies on a regular basis, it just makes no sense.”
On Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s Nomination:
Heinrich stated, “I'm actually kind of a health food person and some of the things that RFK Jr. has said in the past, on the front of high-quality food, I can relate to. But the science of this vaccination denial is not only unscientific and irresponsible, it makes every mother who's got an autistic kid question everything she ever did. It's deeply irresponsible.”
On the Israel-Gaza Conflict:
Sciutto asked, “Earlier today, Trump said that he would like to see the Palestinian people leave Gaza and go to Jordan or Egypt. We should note, the leaders of Jordan and Egypt said they have no interest in doing so. What would that mean to you? Does that sound to you like the forced migration of people away from their home? Is that something that American presidents should be advocating for?"
Heinrich said, “I don't think it's our role to take people from land that they've inhabited and tell them what their future should be. I think our role should be trying to encourage a future for the Israelis that creates security for them, for the Palestinians that create some sovereignty and reconstruction and a life that's not under a terrorist organization. You know, this is a President who says outrageous things because he thinks it always will result in the deal. I'm not sure that works as well in the Middle East.”
On President Trump Breaking Constitutional Norms and the Law:
Heinrich said, “I think the thing that bothers me the most is that when you are willing to break the fundamentals of the Constitution, the fundamentals of law, like the Impoundment Act of 1974 and say that Congress doesn't matter, and go into USAID or Treasury and start turning off the switches to individual programs, then you can do that to American citizens. If you can get away with that, if you can say, I'm going to turn off this USAID program. You can say this person is not going to get their Social Security.”
On Republican Colleagues Failing to Stand Up to President Trump and Elon Musk:
Heinrich said, “They're not willing. They're scared. The amount of pressure that this administration has been able to put on members of Congress, and up till now, we're just not seeing a lot of profiles in courage.”
Heinrich continued, “Our constitutional principles are being tested. There's going to be a role for the courts in that battle. There's going to be a role for Congress in that battle, and there's going to be a role for the American people.”
“No one voted to have Elon Musk in charge of their personal data. No one voted to have him ransacking federal agencies that many of my constituents rely on for various things. That is where I think we need to really draw a contrast that, at least for my constituents, they voted for lower gas prices, they voted for cheaper eggs. They did not vote for this chaos,” Heinrich concluded.
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