Rep. Vasquez Centers Rural Voices and Priorities During Visits in Catron, Cibola, and Socorro Counties

WASHINGTON, D.C. – On August 19, 2025, U.S. Representative Gabe Vasquez (NM-02) launched a nearly 400-mile tour, visiting communities across the western part of his district to discuss the urgent needs facing rural New Mexico today. The Congressman made stops at Ramah Navajo Chapter, Fence Lake, and Quemado to discuss local residents’ and leaders’ top concerns, including funding for infrastructure, public safety, schools, and health care. 

“Rural and Tribal communities in New Mexico shouldn’t have to fight year after year just to keep their schools open, their roads safe, and their emergency services running,” said Rep. Vasquez. “When Congress delays action on critical programs like Secure Rural Schools funding our kids, seniors, and public safety pay the price. I came to Congress to make sure rural voices are not an afterthought in Washington, and I’m demanding action now so these communities aren’t ignored and left behind.”

During the Congressman’s meeting with the Ramah Navajo Chapter, Tribal leadership flagged major difficulties securing federal funding from the Bureau of Indian Affairs and Bureau of Indian Education for essentials like road and facilities maintenance, education, and public safety staff and equipment. 

“We have a dire funding need with our road maintenance department. We need it for emergency services and our school buses. We just never seem to get the funds that we are looking for,” said Martha Garcia, Ramah Navajo Chapter President and State Representative. She added, “Looking down the road with what is happening with Medicaid and SNAP funding, we have to do something for our communities.”

Gjermundson Jake, Ramah Navajo School Board Board of Trustees President, also flagged severe concerns about recent cuts Republicans made to public broadcasting funding, which he said the Ramah Navajo Chapter relies on to provide essential communication to the community via KTDB. “Not everybody has TV, not everybody has Internet,” he said. “We have grandpas and grandmas out there that use battery-powered radios to listen to what’s going on, and that’s how they get all their news. These cuts are concerning, especially for wildfires and emergency response information…in our local area we have local wildfires happening just right behind these mountains here.”

Rep. Vasquez then traveled to Fence Lake to meet with the Fence Lake Volunteer Fire Department, the Cibola County Sheriff, as well as other leaders from Cibola County focused on public safety and emergency management. During a roundtable conversation, local firefighters and EMS made it clear that communications and road maintenance were by far the biggest issues facing them as they work to keep their rural community healthy and safe. 

“Our big issue is emergency services need good radios and communication, and as you can see we don’t have any cell service. These small communities that don’t have cell service really could lose lives because of telecommunication blackout areas,” said Kate Fletcher, County Manager for Cibola County. “If there is an emergency, I am very concerned that we are not up to par on our communications. The Secure Rural Schools funding also really affects this community because of our roads, which are critical for emergency response.” 

Finally, Rep. Vasquez traveled to Quemado Schools, where he convened a roundtable with school and county officials from across Catron, Sierra, Grant, and Cibola counties (as well as Forest Service supervisors and state elected officials) to discuss the urgent need to reauthorize Secure Rural Schools funding to keep rural schools and roads afloat. Vasquez and State Representative Gail Armstrong highlighted the bipartisan need to reauthorize this program. 

“The Secure Rural Schools fund is really to bring equity to communities who are surrounded by land that can’t benefit from property tax because it’s owned by everybody and not individuals,” said Kayli Ortiz, Principal of Reserve Schools. “The SRS is really fundamental for our kids to receive the services and resources that their counterparts in larger cities receive. We feel our kids deserve that. I am thinking of the individual kid in our school who needs the help of a reading interventionist, and what it would mean for them if that position is cut due to a lack of SRS funds.”

Congressman Vasquez is taking action to ensure that rural and Tribal communities are not left in the dust. His holistic approach focuses on making life better, safer, and more affordable for New Mexicans in rural communities, which in turn will benefit the whole state. 

• He opposed the Republican tax law (H.R. 1) which cuts Medicaid and food assistance and is already putting rural hospitals at risk of closing. 
• He is a cosponsor of the Secure Rural Schools Reauthorization Act, which would reauthorize this fund and allow rural schools to get the SRS payments they desperately need.
• He introduced the ReConnecting Rural America Act, which would make the ReConnect Program permanent and offer grants to help facilitate broadband deployment in rural areas.
• He is a cosponsor of the CARE Act, which would improve emergency medical services under the Medicare program by allowing EMS to respond to medical calls on site and reduce the need for lengthy hospital transports.
• He introduced his bipartisan Combatting Rural Inflation Act to ensure that rural communities benefit from efforts to combat inflation and bring down costs. 
• He joined a bipartisan letter to the House Appropriations committee urging them to meet Congress’ trust responsibilities and support funding for Tribal programs in the 2026 government funding bill, including funding for health care, land management, education, and public safety. 

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