Sen. Ben Ray Lujan on how federal funding cuts could affect New Mexicans

This episode is brought to you by the NCRTD Blue Bus.

This week on Voices of Taos, Editor Geoffrey Plant speaks with U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Luján, who visited the Taos News recording studio late in the afternoon Aug. 4 immediately after he attended a roundtable discussion at Holy Cross Medical Center.

In this episode, Luján runs down a long list of funding cuts, policy changes and unprecedented presidential power moves in Washington, D.C. Luján describes what the various impacts of President Donald Trump’s “One, Big Beautiful Bill” will be for North Central New Mexico, Native American Tribes, the state and country, and for nearly all sectors of business and services. Chief among the hospital’s concerns, for example, is the anticipated impact of historic Medicaid program cuts and stricter eligibility requirements for the safety net program. 

Plant and Sen. Luján also discuss tariffs, federal government job cuts, and how cuts to funding and the dismantling of several federal agencies and social safety net programs will affect education, affordable housing programs, food stamps, clean energy initiatives and more. Luján also gives some examples of how Democrats in Congress are trying to respond to the onslaught of Republican-led changes.

Visit Luján's website to learn more.

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