New Mexico’s all-Democratic congressional delegation braces for Trump presidency

Democrats have other concerns, including Trump’s plans for mass deportations, which officials say would tear families apart and deliver a blow to businesses already struggling to find employees in the state.

His win has other implications, at least for some high-profile Democrats from New Mexico: Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, who is preparing for a Trump transition, and Xochitl Torres Small, a former U.S. representative appointed by President Joe Biden to serve as deputy secretary of agriculture.

Many also believed Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham would be up for a Cabinet post after she stumped for Harris across the country and was vetted by Harris, who officiated the governor’s wedding, as a possible running mate.

“Of course, it’s flattering to be mentioned as a prospect for important jobs, but I am most grateful that New Mexicans trust me to keep doing the important work of the state,” the governor said in a statement.

Lujan Grisham said she has “serious concerns” about another Trump presidency.

“There are many policies that New Mexico stands for that he stands against, ranging from Medicaid expansion to reproductive freedoms to the development of a high-tech, renewable energy economy and more,” she said.

The governor said her administration is preparing for a wide range of scenarios and “will not hesitate to fight” for New Mexicans when the federal government’s proposals are bad for the state.

“As we work through this latest disaster triggered by massive snowfall in New Mexico, I worry about Trump’s support for full funding for [the Federal Emergency Management Agency] and deployment to states that require emergency assistance, including ours,” Lujan Grisham said.

Among Democrats’ biggest concerns is Project 2025, a blueprint for a conservative presidency that calls for an overhaul of the federal government. The controversial plan, Democrats say, could have far-reaching, negative consequences for the state.

On the campaign trail, Trump distanced himself from Project 2025. During his visit to New Mexico on Oct. 31, he denied ever even reading it.

But Democrats don’t believe him.

“I won’t sugarcoat it,” U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich, New Mexico’s senior senator, said in a statement.

“The return of President-elect Donald Trump to the White House presents incredible challenges for New Mexico and we must take those threats seriously,” he said. “Trump and his allies have laid out extreme plans that could devastate New Mexicans’ livelihoods, dismantle hard-won progress, and roll back fundamental rights and freedoms, putting our families, communities and future at risk.”

U.S. Rep. Melanie Stansbury echoed the sentiment, saying Project 2025 offers a preview of what a second term will look like, including the dismantling of federal agencies and a retribution tour against Trump’s political opponents.

“The authors and the architects of Project 2025 have been openly bragging over the last several days that it is actually the transition plan for the Trump presidency, which we knew all along,” she said in an interview. “So, if you need detail about what Donald Trump plans, it’s all in the 922 pages of Project 2025.”

The plans include eliminating federal jobs, which Stansbury said will have far-ranging consequences for New Mexico because the federal government is one of the state’s largest employers.

“We’re all bracing,” Stansbury said.

“The Democratic caucus of the House is still waiting for the election results of about 40 House races before we’ll know if we’re in the majority of not,” she said. “But we’re all praying [Democrats will control the House] because without a House majority, there will be no backstop against the presidency, and that includes Donald Trump in the White House, Republican control of the Senate and a leadership shift towards the right, even away from [Senate Minority Leader] Mitch McConnell.”

Stansbury noted House Speaker Mike Johnson is a Trump ally.

“And obviously,” she added, “Trump has stacked the courts … so I think we’re in for a very difficult ride.”

U.S. Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández said the consequences of the presidential election are “particularly disastrous” for New Mexico. For example, she said, Democrats have been successfully fighting a Farm Bill in Congress that would cut $30 billion from nutrition programs, including the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

“With a Trump presidency, they will cut that funding,” she said. “We are talking about so many children and mothers and veterans and elderly who could go hungry because of a Trump victory.”

Leger Fernández rattled off a long list of other possible cuts, including funding for Medicaid and Title 1 schools that serve high-poverty families as well as efforts to overturn the Inflation Reduction Act and repeal the Affordable Care Act.

“I can go on and on about the very specific negative consequences for New Mexico because it is across the board,” Leger Fernández said.

A spokesperson for U.S. Rep. Gabe Vasquez did not return messages seeking comment.

Stansbury said House Democrats are steeling themselves for the fight ahead and remain committed “to defending our fundamental rights and freedoms.”

Sen. Ben Ray Luján said Trump divided the nation during his first term “while advancing efforts that hurt working Americans and undermined the rule of law” and that he prayed the next four years would be different for the good of the country.

“We will continue working to deliver results for New Mexico regardless of who is in power in Congress and the White House,” he said in a statement after Tuesday’s election.

His communications director, Adán Serna, offered more platitudes when asked what the state’s congressional delegation will realistically be able to accomplish with Trump in the White House and Republicans winning control of the U.S. Senate.

“Senator Luján has consistently and successfully sought out bipartisan relationships to get his legislation passed, and he will continue to do so while defending New Mexico values and priorities,” Serna wrote in an email.

Pressed for a response with more substance — especially since New Mexico is heavily dependent on federal funding and Project 2025 calls for cuts to any work unrelated to nuclear weapons at national laboratories, including Los Alamos and Sandia — Serna said control of Congress is still up in the air.

“We need to allow these votes to be counted to have a clear picture of what the next Congress will look like,” he wrote.

Serna also said Luján’s experience will prove beneficial for New Mexico.

“The Senator is keenly aware of the National Laboratories’ importance — his dad worked at LANL … and Senator Luján has delivered billions of dollars to the Labs. Often working in a bipartisan fashion to do so,” he wrote. “He created the National Labs Caucus, which again is bipartisan. He has been at this for well over a decade.”

Stansbury agreed the New Mexico congressional delegation’s record of working across the aisle will serve the state well.

“We are all very practical people, and we understand the assignment,” she said. “We understand that our role and responsibility is to serve our state, and all five of us work across the aisle to get things done in spite of the political rhetoric.”

Helen Gaussoin, a spokesperson for the New Mexico Legislative Finance Committee, said it’s “very speculative to discuss any impact” on state government under a Trump presidency.

“Not everything Trump mentioned on the campaign trail will or can happen. That being said, we don’t see any major shifts in the oil and gas industry because of Trump,” she wrote in an email. “Other things could happen that could affect the market, including indirect impacts from any actions Trump might take on the international stage, but we don’t expect Trump to do anything domestically that would cramp or expand the New Mexico market and much of the regulation happens on the state level.”

Gaussoin cautioned mass deportations, a pillar of Trump’s campaign, would be a hard hit on businesses that already can’t fill jobs.

“The tariffs could be inflationary, depending on what they look like, and potentially have a bigger impact on the cost of household goods and the middle class,” she wrote.

“We also will be closely watching federal fund allocations to the state,” Gaussoin added. “If they are cut back, the Legislature will have to decide whether to backfill with state funds or reduce services.”

Heinrich also expressed concerns about Trump’s vision for increased tariffs that could drive up prices on everyday goods.

“Social Security and Medicare — lifelines for our seniors — are on the chopping block,” he said, adding “the historic progress we made through the Inflation Reduction Act is in jeopardy, as are the thousands of good-paying jobs tied to it in the clean energy sector.”

Heinrich said a national abortion ban threatens the rights of women to make decisions about their own bodies, and a rollback of protections under the Affordable Care Act, which has allowed thousands of New Mexicans to access affordable care, would risk the state’s most vulnerable communities losing access to necessary treatments, preventative care and lifesaving prescriptions.

“Altogether, these measures threaten to dismantle the very progress we’ve fought so hard to achieve, risking not only our state’s well-being but the security and dignity of every New Mexican,” he said. “We cannot afford to lose ground on these issues, and New Mexicans should know that our delegation stands united in opposition to these threats, and we will do everything in our power to protect the interests of the hardworking people in our state.”

Lujan Grisham said her administration will remain vigilant in the face of threats to New Mexico.

“I’m willing to work with Trump on initiatives that are good for New Mexico and the nation. I did so at times during his first administration and I will again when it’s appropriate,” she said. “My hope is that there are more areas of cooperation than contention. Only time will tell.”