Press Releases

Congresswoman Leger Fernández (NM-03) released the following statement after she voted today in support of bills that provide $9 billion in humanitarian assistance to Gaza and starving communities around the world as well as aid to Ukraine, U.S. allies in the Indo-Pacific, and Israel.

“Today, after months of extreme-Republican delay that allowed Putin to turn the tide in the Ukraine war, delayed desperately needed humanitarian aid for starving civilians, and emboldened China to increase its foothold in the Indo-Pacific, I voted to support democracy and our allies alongside the vast majority of my colleagues in both parties,” said Congresswoman Leger Fernández.

“In Gaza and across the globe, millions are on the brink of starvation.  The humanitarian aid in this package is essential and needed now.

This bipartisan bill provides much-needed humanitarian assistance to starving children in Gaza and around the world. As the death toll and looming famine continue to mount in Gaza, the U.S. desperately needs the ability to deploy humanitarian aid—something only Congress can grant.

This funding was key in my vote in favor of the package. I am not willing to let families starve in Gaza or across the globe.

The aid to Ukraine and the Indo-Pacific included in this bill is also especially important as we work to defeat the cruel regimes that seek to take the world backward. When authoritarians like Vladimir Putin, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and Xi Jinping emerge, we must act united with our allies to push back against their aggression. We must combat their evil at every turn and protect the democracies that they seek to erase from the map.

This bill also includes defensive military aid to Israel. We have learned in recent days that the United States and Israel’s defensive capabilities have been depleted by missile attacks sent by those who seek to eliminate the state of Israel.

But Israel’s deadly operations in Gaza must stop—too many innocent civilians and aid workers have been killed. I strongly condemn how Prime Minister Netanyahu has conducted this war. His military has engaged in indiscriminate and immoral bombing of children and families in Gaza that has directly led to a massive humanitarian crisis. 

The Biden Administration has provided commitments that none of the military aid included in this package will be used in Gaza or to offensively extend the war. It will only be used to replenish the Iron Dome and missile defense systems used to protect Israeli civilians. Together with my colleagues, I have sent a letter to the President calling on him to enforce these commitments and international law protecting civilians. I have also worked with and received commitments from Congressional colleagues with the power to enforce these conditions that the military aid will not be used in Gaza. I will work diligently to make sure the Biden Administration upholds their commitments.

Finally, I voted for the bipartisan 21st Century Peace Through Strength Act which authorizes the President to seize Russian property that belongs to Putin and his cronies, imposes sanctions on Iran, China, and Hamas as well as other terrorist groups that operate in Gaza.

Importantly, this bill also includes the bipartisan FEND Off Fentanyl Act to fight the fentanyl crisis in New Mexico and across the U.S. 

New Mexicans are sadly no strangers to addiction. It steals the futures of too many of our loved ones and leaves a hole in our hearts. We know we must stop the flow of dangerous drugs into the country—this is a step toward that goal,” she concluded.

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