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As a breast cancer survivor, I know that all Americans have a right to quality, affordable health care in the communities they call home. In all corners of New Mexico, I hear tragic stories about doctor and nurse shortages and rural hospital closures. It is all too common to travel for hours to receive care. We must make bold investments to recruit and maintain a strong health care workforce. That is why I have cosponsored bills like the Rural Physician Workforce Production Act and Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act that would improve our chronic rural healthcare workforce shortages by recruiting and retaining doctors in rural areas. We must also lower the cost of health care. I strongly support fully funding and strengthening Medicare, Medicaid, and our nation’s network of community health centers to make sure everyone can access care. I proudly voted for the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), which President Biden signed into law on August 16, 2022. This landmark law lowers health care premiums and allows Medicare to negotiate drug prices and cap out-of-pocket costs at $2,000. Like my own family, too many New Mexicans know the pain of losing a loved one to addiction. As a member of the Mental Health Caucus, I am fighting to expand services for those dealing with alcohol and substance use. In fact, one of the first initiatives I took in Congress was to introduce the Campus Prevention and Recovery Services for Students Act to help college students suffering from addiction. In addition, I’ve secured funding for numerous community projects including a detox center in Taos County and a behavioral health services hub in Mora County. As a member of the Congressional Native American Caucus and Ranking Member of the House Subcommittee on Indian and Insular Affairs, I’m working hard for Indian Country. I helped secure Advanced Appropriations for the Indian Health Service (IHS) for the first time ever. I also cosponsored the Special Diabetes Program for Indians Reauthorization Act and the IHS Provider Expansion Act to create a pipeline of well-trained, culturally competent health providers. |