Trump Administration

U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-NM), ranking member of the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, hosted a roundtable discussion recently on the Trump Administration's policies that he said are raising electricity bills for Americans, including New Mexico.

About 3,000 people packed into Albuquerque’s Civic Plaza Friday afternoon to protest Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and to stand in solidarity with people in Minnesota.

Congress recently approved over 13.5 million in federal funding for the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA). This comes after the Trump Administration proposed eliminating the school’s appropriation.

Despite significant opposition, the Environmental Protection Agency recently announced it would delay Biden-era methane compliance deadlines for at least 18 months.

Late last month, the Trump administration proposed to roll back specific Endangered Species Act (ESA) regulations that would, among other changes, severely limit the designation of critical habitat for species on the path to extinction – including the genetically vulnerable Mexican gray wolf.

An analysis of U.S. Forest Service data by a wildland firefighter advocacy group shows that wildfire mitigation efforts in New Mexico – including prescribed burns and other hazardous fuel treatments – are down by over 50% since President Donald Trump took office in January.

A federal judge on Friday ruled it’s illegal for the Trump administration to stop federal food assistance and gave it until Monday to come up with a plan. That means millions are without those benefits over the weekend. But local restaurants around the state are stepping up to provide free meals for children and families.

Earlier this month, the Department of the Interior submitted court documents outlining its plans to lay off just over 2,000 employees nation-wide amid the ongoing government shutdown. While these firings have been put on hold, for now, they could strip New Mexico of already scarce wildfire research resources.

Some National Park Service advocates are worried that, once the ongoing quarrel in Congress is over, the agency’s staff might shrink, impacting park quality.

On Saturday, thousands of New Mexicans gathered in Downtown Albuquerque to participate in the second No Kings protest, following the first that took place back in June.