Press Releases

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Congresswoman Teresa Leger Fernández (D-NM) secured $8,682,250 in Community Project Funding for New Mexico and delivered key funding victories for the state as part of the Fiscal Year 2026 federal spending minibus covering Transportation and Housing and Urban Development, Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and the Department of Defense.

The funding will support critical infrastructure, housing, public safety, transit, and community facilities across municipalities in New Mexico.

“In a difficult political environment, we still delivered for our beloved communities,” said Congresswoman Leger Fernández. “This legislation is far from perfect and if Democrats were in control we would maximize investments in housing, health care, families, children and so much more. Still,  I am pleased we’re keeping essential programs funded and bringing real investments home to New Mexico communities that too often get overlooked.”

Learn more about the Congresswoman’s community project funding requests HERE. 

While the Congresswoman voted to advance the minibus to secure these investments, she voted against the Department of Homeland Security funding portion due to serious concerns about ICE abuses and the failure to include meaningful accountability and protections for civil rights.

“I will not support a blank check for agencies that violate people’s rights and claim absolute immunity,” Leger Fernández added. “The Department of Homeland Security  bill  did not include any  of the amendments me and my Democratic colleagues pushed to hold ICE accountable for their abuses. Republicans refused to protect citizens from immigration arrests and detention, refused to enforce basic Constitutional protections, refused to unmask agents, and even refused to require that ICE agents carry and turn on bodycams. These are basic requirements expected of every other law enforcement officer across our great country. That’s why I voted against this bill and recently co-sponsored articles of impeachment against Secretary Kristi Noem for DHS’s violent and lawless campaign that has led to record deaths of citizens, residents and immigrants at ICE’s hands. I will continue to push back against ICE abuses and demand accountability—that’s what New Mexicans want and it’s the right thing to do.”

Funding secured in bill: 

Project Name: Chama, NM Transit Operations Facility

Recipient: North Central Regional Transit District

Amount Received: $750,000

Project Description: This request is for funding to be used for land acquisition, design, construction, and construction management for an operations facility in Chama, NM. The facility will allow for vehicle maintenance, driver check-in, restroom use, and bus storage. Currently the District operates the 170 Jicarilla route that services the Jicarilla Apache nation and connects residents to the City of Farmington, where they can access essential services. It is a priority to ensure service is uninterrupted for the communities that depend on public transportation to engage doctors’ appointments, employment opportunities, grocery store visits, and community events. 

Project Name: City of Las Vegas, NM South Pacific Road Improvements

Recipient: City of Las Vegas, New Mexico

Amount Received: $850,000

Project Description: South Pacific Avenue is a main thoroughfare for the community of Las Vegas, New Mexico. It is also a major response route for emergency personnel. South Pacific Avenue is in need of repair and improvements which, if left unaddressed, would become a safety hazard for the people of Las Vegas. Community project development will be used to plan, design, and construct new Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant sidewalks; new curbs and gutters; and pave a new roadway from Grant Street to Grand Avenue on South Pacific Avenue. The project would improve transportation, decrease accidents, increase traffic capacity, improve the school zone, make it safer for pedestrians walking and crossing the road.

Project Name: City of Lovington, NM Senior Center Infrastructure Improvement Project

Recipient: City of Lovington

Amount Received: $369,750

Project Description: The funding would be used to update the Senior Center’s facilities to ensure safety, accessibility, and comfort for the city’s older adults. This involves parking lot improvement/ADA compliance measures, handicap accessibility into the building, fencing and safety improvements, replacement of handicap doors, HVAC upgrades, carpet and floor replacement, updating ramps and signage, lighting upgrades, and expanding and improving accessibility of exercise/recreational facilities.

The project is an appropriate use of taxpayer funds because the Lovington Senior Center is a gathering place for older adults in Lovington, NM to socialize and participate in meaningful activities.

Project Name: Jemez Pueblo Hazard Remediation and Pueblo Revitalization Project

Recipient: Pueblo of Jemez

Amount Received: $1,512,500

Project Description: The funding would be used for the demolition of 26 dilapidated, contaminated, uninhabitable homes, thereby allowing the construction of new homes to help address a substantial housing waitlist. The demolition of the abandoned homes will allow for the creation of a comprehensive master land use plan and redevelopment of the land to create more affordable housing for the Pueblo community. 

The project is an appropriate use of taxpayer funds because the Pueblo of Jemez suffers from an epidemic of blighted, condemned, and hazardous abandoned residential and governmental buildings on its Reservation. These structures pose a serious risk to the health and safety of the community.

Project Name: Jicarilla Apache Nation Public Safety Housing Project

Recipient: Jicarilla Apache Nation

Amount Received: $2,000,000

Project Description: The funding would be used to plan, design and construction for eight to ten duplexes which will house public safety and emergency management personnel to service the Jicarilla Apache Nation and surrounding communities. The Tribe already has the land. 

Project Name: Portales, NM Waste Transfer Facility Expansion

Recipient: City of Portales

Amount Received: $1,200,000

Project Description: The funding would be used for the expansion of the transfer station and to make it easier to take larger amounts of waste to Clovis when necessary. This would lower the cost of solid waste transportation, lessen road damage, lower the cost of fuel and collection vehicle maintenance, and lower the cost of waste management services overall. It would also improve public health and safety, promote sustainability, and create job opportunities for the local community. 

Project Name: Raton, NM Ports to Plains

Recipient: City of Raton, New Mexico

Amount Received: $1,000,000

Project Description: This planning project supported by New Mexico Department of Transportation assists New Mexico in completing a City Location Study at Raton. Determining the alignment between US 87 (Future Interstate 27) and Interstate 25 will allow the city to begin developing that area. Following the designation of the Ports-to-Plains Corridor in New Mexico as a Future Interstate in the FY2022 Appropriations legislation, the project would initiate interstate highway planning on U.S. 87 / U.S. 64, specifically along the I-27 / I-25 interchange in Raton. These planning funds would be used for Project Definition, Phase A: Alternative Identification and Screening, Phase B: Detailed Alternative Analysis, Phase C: Environmental Documentation, and Preliminary Design. By enhancing transportation routes, the project facilitates trade, commerce, and regional connectivity, bolstering economic development across various sectors. Recently, it was announced that the Department of Defense has designated the Ports to Plains route coming through Raton to move defense equipment quickly from Fort Carson in Colorado to Port Arthur in Texas, making it a critical infrastructure project for the Country.

Other Important Funding:

The minibus appropriations bill includes several other sections that benefit New Mexico, including:

Health Care: 

• $8.9 billion for the Health Resources and Services Administration including $286 million for Title X Family Planning, $1.9 billion for Health Centers, and $1.4 billion for Health Workforce training

• $9.2 billion for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

• $7.4 billion for the National Cancer Institute (NCI), an increase of $128 million above the 2025 level

• $2.8 billion for Mental Health services and $4.2 billion for Substance Use Treatment services 

• Extends all Medicare telehealth flexibilities through December 31, 2027. This includes extending audio-only telehealth for Medicare beneficiaries in tribal communities as Rep. Leger Fernandez’s Telehealth Access for Tribal Communities Act provides.

• Reauthorizes the Community Health Center Fund and National Health Service Corps through December 31, 2026 to maintain access to primary care in underserved communities

• Reauthorizes the Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education (THCGME) program that trains physicians in rural and underserved areas.

• Reauthorizes the Special Diabetes Program for T1D and the Special Diabetes Program for Indians through December 31, 2026

• Delays the Medicaid DSH cuts for fiscal years 2026 and 2027, to help support rural safety net hospitals so they can provide essential services for patients

Seniors:

• 12.3 billion for the Social Security Administration’s (SSA) operating budget, an increase of $50 million above the 2025 level

• $395 million for the Senior Community Service Employment for Older Americans Program

Education: 

• $12.4 billion for Head Start

• $8.8 billion for the Child Care and Development Block Grant

• $18.4 billion for Title I Grants to Local Educational Agencies

• $1.6 billion for Impact Aid

• $24.6 billion for Federal student aid programs

• $1.2 billion for Federal TRIO programs

• $292 million for the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS)

Labor: 

• $2.9 billion for Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act State Grants

• $285 million for Registered Apprenticeships

• $23 million for the Women's Bureau, which was eliminated in the Republican House bill

Defense:

• Fully funds the 3.8 percent pay raise for military personnel

• $41.8 billion for medical and health care programs of the Department of Defense 

• $1.1 billion, including $305 million for the National Guard Counter-Drug Program to interdict drugs

• Venezuela: Does NOT include any additional funding for operations in Venezuela and the Caribbean

Transportation and Housing:

• $366 million for Homeless Assistance Grants by $366 million and rejects President Trump’s efforts to eliminate Continuum of Care funding entirely

• Funding for HOME, the sole federal program dedicated to building new affordable rental and homeownership housing, and Community Development Block Grants

• $13.7 billion for FAA Operations to expand the national airspace system’s air traffic controller workforce by 2,500 personnel

Learn more about H.R. 7148 HERE. 

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