Heinrich Tours Student Health Clinic, Convenes Roundtable, & Hosts Press Conference to Highlight Impacts of Trump’s Health Care & Inflation Crisis in New Mexico

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) hosted three events in Las Cruces to highlight how Donald Trump and Congressional Republicans' health care and inflation crisis is harming New Mexico families by putting health care out of reach and skyrocketing the cost of living.

Heinrich's events underscored the threat of a looming Republican government shutdown, which is becoming more likely after Republicans blocked legislation that would have kept the government open and addressed the health care and inflation crisis they created.

"If the President and his party get their way, it will mean health care premiums going up by $300 or more a month. And I don't know New Mexicans who can afford another $300 a month in their health care premiums," said Heinrich. "If someone had tried to craft legislation that would have been more fundamentally harmful to the state of New Mexico than Republicans' Big Bad Bill, they would have had a really hard time doing it. Between the Medicaid cuts that we're going to see, the increases in premiums under the Affordable Care Act, and the SNAP cuts - it's almost hard to wrap your head around how harmful this is going to be for working families."

Heinrich continued, "The President has told his leadership not to negotiate with Democrats on a funding bill, even if it means a shutdown. From my years on the Appropriations Committee, I know the only way forward is a bipartisan deal. My top concern is protecting New Mexico families from higher health care premiums - they simply can't afford another increase."

Today, Heinrich hosted a press conference with BeWell New Mexico and the New Mexico Center on Law and Poverty to highlight how the health care crisis, created by Trump and Republicans, will hike health care premiums if Republicans' allow ACA premium tax credits to expire.

U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) hosts a press conference to highlight how Trump's health care and inflation crisis is harming New Mexicans, September 26, 2025.

Last week, Senate Republicans blocked legislation to keep the government open and address the health care crisis they have created by refusing to extend the enhanced Advance Premium Tax Credit (APTC), which was passed into law by Heinrich and Democrats in 2021 and expires at the end of this calendar year. Health insurance costs will rise significantly for individuals and families in New Mexico and nationwide because Trump and Republicans refuse to extend the enhanced APTC. New Mexico enrollees will begin receiving notices for open enrollment starting October 15. BeWell estimates that over 6,300 New Mexico enrollees will face increased health insurance costs starting January 1, 2026, if the enhanced APTC is not extended.

Heinrich and his Democratic colleagues have made clear that they are eager to vote for a budget that fixes the harm Trump and Republicans have caused to the American people, their pocketbooks, and their health care.

Currently appropriated federal funding expires after September 30, 2025. If a federal funding bill is not passed before October 1, the federal government will shut down. Republicans control the House, Senate, and the White House. If the government shuts down, it won't be because of Democrats - it'll be because Republicans walked away from their jobs and the American people.

Heinrich voted to pass the American Rescue Plan in 2021, which authorized initial enhancements to the premium tax credit to make health insurance more affordable for more people and increase subsidies for working, middle-income families in New Mexico. In 2022, Heinrich voted to pass the Inflation Reduction Act, which extended the enhanced premium tax credit through 2025.

Heinrich cosponsors the Health Care Affordability Act of 2025 (S.46) to make the enhanced Advance Premium Tax Credit permanent and build upon record health care marketplace enrollment.

For more information on how Republicans' refusal to extend the enhanced Advanced Premium Tax Credit will harm New Mexicans, click here.

Yesterday, Heinrich toured the Mayfield Student Health Clinic and met with students, health care providers, and educators to discuss how Trump's Medicaid cuts in the Big, Bad Bill will hurt the delivery of school-based health services and cut off access to health services New Mexico families rely on.

U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) tours the Mayfield Student Health Clinic, September 25, 2025. More photos can be found HERE.

School-Based Health Centers (SBHCs) rely on Medicaid funding to provide comprehensive health services located directly on Las Cruces Public Schools (LCPS) campuses, reducing barriers to care. Services include primary care, behavioral health, preventive care, and health education. All students qualify for services regardless of insurance coverage or Medicaid status. At school-based clinic sites, services are also available to LCPS staff and families, further extending access to care across the community.

Heinrich stood up for New Mexico families and health care services they rely on by repeatedly opposing Republicans' efforts to cut Medicaid and SNAP to fund massive tax handouts for billionaires in the Big, Bad Bill, a bill that ultimately passed over Heinrich's objections thanks to Republicans' near unanimous support.

Approximately 40% of New Mexico residents participate in Medicaid. Republicans' Big, Bad Bill will cause approximately 90,000 New Mexicans to lose Medicaid coverage and up to 6 to 8 rural hospitals in New Mexico could close. For more background on Heinrich's actions to protect Medicaid, click here.

Additionally, Heinrich hosted a roundtable with SNAP participants, SNAP program experts, and SNAP legal advocates to discuss how the Big, Bad Bill's cuts to SNAP will cut off thousands of New Mexico families from critical food assistance and put hundreds of millions of dollars worth of new unfunded mandates on the state of New Mexico - amid Trump's inflation crisis.

U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich hosts a SNAP roundtable to discuss how Trump's Big, Bad Bill will cut off New Mexico families from critical food assistance, September 25, 2025. More photos can be found HERE.

As of 2024, New Mexico has the largest number of SNAP participants nationwide. SNAP serves an estimated 42 million people per month, including nearly 500,000 New Mexicans.

Heinrich repeatedly voted to block Republicans cuts to SNAP in the Big, Bad Bill and also filed amendments to protect SNAP benefits for kids, veterans, and seniors.

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