Heinrich, Luján, Leger Fernández Secure HHS Senior Official to Visit Gallup Indian Medical Center, Witness Trump-Caused Delays & Reduction of Patient Care

WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), U.S. Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), a member of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, and U.S. Representative Teresa Leger Fernández (D-N.M.) announced that Mark Cruz, a Tribal citizen of the Klamath Tribes and Senior Advisor to Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., accepted their invitation to visit Gallup Indian Medical Center (GIMC) as well as the Indian Health Service (IHS) facility near Santa Ana Pueblo and witness firsthand how the Trump administration's actions have undermined Tribal health in New Mexico.

Following reporting that Trump administration policies - implemented via presidential executive orders and the President's so-called "Department of Government Efficiency" (DOGE) - cut staffing leading to delays and reductions in patient care at Gallup Indian Medical Center, Heinrich and Leger Fernández formally invited HHS Senior Advisor Cruz to visit Gallup Indian Medical Center. This invitation came as an immediate follow-up to an earlier letter sent by members of the New Mexico Congressional Delegation, where the lawmakers praised the hard working health professionals at Gallup and demanded answers from HHS Secretary Kennedy and IHS Acting Director Benjamin Smith upon learning that medical services at the hospital had been significantly suspended or reduced.

In addition to DOGE's staffing cuts, project funding for new hospital facilities construction at Gallup Indian Medical Center and Santa Ana Pueblo Health Facility were redirected away, leaving the Tribes and patients without answers and having to rely on outdated facilities. This visit follows Luján's questioning during a February Indian Affairs Committee hearing where he pressed Acting Deputy Director of the Indian Health Service Darrell LaRoche for accountability regarding the Trump administration stripping funds from New Mexico Tribal communities. Additionally, Luján pressed Acting Deputy Director LaRoche for a commitment to restore safe, reliable drinking water at Gallup Indian Medical Center, which due to the facility's crumbling infrastructure has not been available.

"We have stood shoulder to shoulder with local leaders, patients, health care providers, Tribal officials, and community members to sound the alarm about the Trump administration's actions that have negatively impacted Gallup Indian Medical Center and the IHS facility near Santa Ana Pueblo, which are limiting access to essential health care services," the lawmakers said. "After accepting our invitation, HHS Senior Advisor Mark Cruz will finally see firsthand how this administration's policies have forced the hospital to slow down care, slash the number of available beds, scale back maternal and emergency care, halt critical services entirely, and delay the construction of vital medical facilities. This is an unacceptable situation that violates the federal government's trust and treaty obligations. And we will not rest until President Trump properly meets the needs of New Mexico Tribal communities."

The New Mexico lawmakers remain concerned about severe understaffing at GIMC that is being exacerbated by HHS's delayed hiring and onboarding procedures.

According to an IHS response to a letter led by Luján and signed by the N.M. Delegation, there are 591 vacant positions across all units. For example, according to IHS, GIMC has 100% vacancy for ultrasound professionals on site to care for patients. Staffing shortages have also led to inconsistent availability of critical care, including limited bed capacity due to nursing shortages.

The N.M. Delegation will continue to press the Trump administration to uphold the federal government's trust and treaty obligations, including adequately funding and staffing the Gallup Indian Medical Center and all IHS hospitals that serve New Mexico Tribal communities.

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