VIDEO: Heinrich, Vasquez Deliver Remarks on Looming Far Right Republican Government Shutdown

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and U.S. Representative Gabe Vasquez (D-N.M.) hosted a press conference to discuss their work to keep the government funded and avert a shutdown that would have dire impacts on the economy and New Mexicans.  

Senator Heinrich’s remarks can be viewed here and below. 

Let me be blunt. This looming government shutdown is wildly irresponsible. It's completely unnecessary, and it's utterly pointless.  

Roughly 20 hardline House Republicans want a shutdown, and Speaker McCarthy is listening to them instead of listening to the American people. 

I cannot overstate this: the consequences of a shutdown to families, small businesses, and communities in New Mexico and across the country will be dire.

In New Mexico, nearly 37,000 women and children on WIC risk losing critical nutrition assistance. 

Over 13,000 service members in New Mexico are at risk of not getting paid. 

Families and rural areas won’t be able to apply for or receive USDA housing loans. Farmers and producers in the middle of harvest season won't be able to access new loans. 

Travel will be impacted, and that could include the Balloon Fiesta, New Mexico's largest tourism event of the year. 

Far right Republicans have pushed us into a shutdown this weekend. 

Businesses will face delayed loans. Mortgage applications will fall. And international trade at the border will stall. 

We've seen all of this play out before. We know that the costs of a government shutdown are too high. 

Past shutdowns have raised interest rates, reduced economic output, and jeopardized government benefits — impacts that our recovering economy simply cannot afford. And depending on how long this drags on, this shutdown could even precipitate a recession. 

We have a job to do, and the only way forward is to pass bipartisan spending bills to fund the government. 

We had a bipartisan budget deal this summer that both houses of Congress and the White House all agreed to. 

As a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, I worked in good faith with my Republican colleagues based on that agreement so that we could pass all 12 of our bipartisan Appropriations bills out of Committee, and continue working with members of both parties to move bipartisan legislation forward that will fund our government.

House Republicans need to stop wasting time on extreme proposals designed to create chaos, or this shutdown is simply on them. 

Representative Vasquez’s remarks can be viewed here and below.

What we are seeing today from House Republicans on the extreme right wing side is a proposal that would cut federal agencies 30%, across the board, which is deeply, deeply irresponsible. It is not in line with American values. It is not a proposal that Democrats in the House are going to agree to. 

We're more certainly going into a government shutdown scenario that is going to cause more harm than any type of good that these extreme members are trying to bring forward. 

Now, in New Mexico, and in my District, in particular, we're talking about food for families. We're talking about hungry kids. Benefits from WIC and SNAP that feed our children would be limited, and some would be eliminated under these cuts. 

We're talking about wildfire prevention and assistance during a time where we're trying to get benefits out to the victims of the Hermit's Peak/Calf Canyon Fire and the Black Fire.

To be able to not have that support for New Mexicans is completely irresponsible.

Health care services for rural families. 

One of the most important things that the government can do is care for people in places in like places in my district like Lordsburg, Deming, Magdalena, and Carlsbad. 

This shutdown would also impact over 11,000 active duty and reserve personnel in New Mexico that'd be forced to go without pay during a government shutdown. That is not responsible. It does not help our national defense. 

It does not help people in our rural economies, and also impacts our small businesses. 

The Small Business Administration has an important role to play and helps develop capital and build wealth in communities all across New Mexico. Without the support of the SBA, we are going to hinder the ability to actually create economic opportunity in the private sector. And that is not acceptable. 

Lastly, I'll talk about public safety. Right now we're facing a fentanyl crisis in communities all across the country. 

Limiting our personnel at Customs and Border Protection in places like Santa Teresa in the Columbus Ports of Entry is also irresponsible. Not only that, but it is counter to the message that Republicans have consistently delivered about trying to add more resources to make sure that we keep our community safe at our ports of entry. 

We desperately need to make sure that we keep this government open. 

Unfortunately, the dysfunction in the House and bringing forth a proposal that we cannot agree to and that is not realistic, is going to hurt New Mexicans. It's going to hurt the American people.

We are going to negotiate in good faith with the Republicans. But we are waiting for them to bring us a proposal that is fair, and that is also supporting of New Mexico families and  New Mexico communities. 

A video of the full press conference can be found here.