Rep. Gabe Vasquez Demands Immediate Passage of Aid to New Mexico Farmers Following Devastating Flooding

WASHINGTON, D.C. - On October 22, U.S. Representative Gabe Vasquez (NM-02) sent a letter to House leadership urging immediate passage of his CHILE Act, which would provide $5 billion in direct assistance to specialty crop farmers facing natural disasters and economic hardship. Following floods that wiped out chile crops in Southern New Mexico, this bill is more important than ever to provide necessary assistance before farmers are forced out of business.

"In New Mexico, these growers are the backbone of our agricultural communities, supporting generations of family farms and businesses. When these farmers lose their crops, the impacts ripple through the entire food supply chain, hurting farmworkers, local businesses, and families who depend on a reliable supply of American-grown food," wrote Vasquez. "Without meaningful federal assistance, we risk losing family farms, weakening domestic food production, and becoming more dependent on foreign growers. Protecting our specialty crop farmers is not just an agricultural priority - it is a matter of food security and economic stability for the entire country."

Read the full letter HERE.

The letter comes after devastating floods swept through southern New Mexico, destroying crops, damaging critical agricultural infrastructure, and threatening the livelihoods of family farmers. The flooding dealt another blow to New Mexico's chile, onion, and pecan growers, who were already grappling with extreme heat, prolonged drought, crop disease, shrinking market access, and rising production costs.

Despite these threats facing specialty crop farmers nationwide, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) lacks a permanent, dedicated disaster assistance framework for these producers. In addition to providing much needed assistance, the CHILE Act would create a dedicated program and protect our farmers from increasingly common extreme weather events and economic instability.

On October 4th, Rep. Vasquez hosted a meeting in Doña Ana County with local elected officials and visited families and farms impacted by the recent flooding. He visited Hatch, the McLeod/Garfield Dam, and surrounding areas to assess the impact of the flooding and what the community and farmers needed for recovery firsthand.

The CHILE is supported by the New Mexico Chile Association and Western Growers Association. The bill was introduced in the Senate by Ben Ray Lujan (D-NM).

This legislation builds on Rep. Vasquez's long record of fighting for farmers and delivering real wins for New Mexico agriculture:

• Rep. Vasquez secured several bipartisan wins in the process of passing this year's Farm Bill through the House, including preventing the imposition of new red tape that would hinder growers' access to the Specialty Crop Block Grant program.
• Rep. Vasquez has held the USDA accountable countless times, including introducing his Honor Farmer Contracts Act, which ensures the USDA pays farmers what they're owed.
• He's taken concerns directly from New Mexico's farmers and ranchers to Washington and turned them into action through his Agriculture Advisory Group.
• In January, Rep. Vasquez introduced the Farm and Family Relief Act to help farmers recover from chaos caused by the Administration's reckless tariff policy.

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