Rep. Gabe Vasquez Meets With Las Cruces Seniors to Tackle Rising Costs and Protect Social Security

WASHINGTON, D.C.- On Saturday, October 25, 2025, U.S. Representative Gabe Vasquez (NM-02)met with local seniors at a Las Cruces grocery store to hear directly about how the rising costs of groceries, housing, and health care are impacting their daily lives.

Vasquez spoke with Las Cruces residents Karen and Jack Zilbert about the difficult choices many seniors face just to make ends meet, from deciding which prescriptions to refill to stretching their grocery budgets each week. As they walked the aisles of a local grocery store together, the couple pointed out how prices on everyday essentials have climbed and shared their worries about how rising costs are squeezing seniors across New Mexico.

"Seniors like Karen and Jack are making tough decisions about what they can afford at the grocery store, and like many New Mexicans they're rationing week by week. It's unacceptable that this administration is focused on giving tax cuts to the rich while seniors and middle-class families struggle," said Vasquez. "In the wealthiest nation in the world, folks like Karen and Jack who have worked hard all their lives deserve to age with dignity, stability, and peace of mind, without having to choose between food and health care."

Vasquez remains committed to standing up for New Mexico seniors by protecting their benefits and lowering everyday costs:

Protecting Social Security

• Championed the Social Security Fairness Act, which is now law, to ensure retired public servants receive the full benefits they've earned.
• Called on Speaker Johnson to block any legislation that would cut Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid benefits on behalf of millions of Americans who depend on these programs.
• Opposed staffing cuts at the Social Security Administration, which have led to increased wait times and put local offices at risk of closing.

Combating Rising Health Care Costs

• Co-sponsored the Protecting Health Care and Lowering Costs Act and the Bipartisan Premium Tax Credit Extension Actto extend ACA enhanced premium tax credits and keep health care costs from skyrocketing for seniors across New Mexico.
• Voted against the Republican tax law that made it harder for seniors to qualify for Medicaid through increased work requirements, severely restricted payments to providers and medical facilities - leading to 1 in 4 nursing homes closing - and degraded Medicare's ability to negotiate lower drug prices, causing increased prescription drug costs for seniors.
• Fought to cap the cost of insulin at $35/month for folks with private insurance, Medicare Part D, or Medicare Advantage.

Promoting Affordable Housing

• Introduced the Keep Mobile Homes Affordable Actto crack down on corporate investors who raise rents and price out seniors living on fixed incomes.
• Championed the HOME Act to make it illegal during a housing emergency to sell or rent homes for unreasonably high prices, ensuring New Mexicans on fixed incomes can afford a safe place to live.

Ensuring Access to Affordable, High-Quality Food

• Voted to protect SNAP benefits and introduced the Healthy Foods for Native Seniors Actto expand access to nutritious foods in Tribal communities.

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