Rep. Stansbury Delivers Message of Hope to New Mexico Legislature

SANTA FE, N.M. — U.S. Representative Melanie Stansbury (NM-01) Thursday addressed a joint session of the New Mexico Legislature Thursday. During her remarks, she highlighted her past work to support New Mexico’s First Congressional District through legislation and funding and work across the aisle. The Congresswoman encouraged all New Mexicans to move forward with hope, grit, and determination.

Rep. Stansbury celebrated the legislature’s historic era – with the largest female legislative majority in the history of the country and other wins by state, tribal, and local leaders to protect the rights and fundamental freedoms of New Mexicans.

The Congresswoman’s remark are below. See video of the speech here.

Good afternoon, legislators! Madam Pro Tempore, Mr. Speaker, Leaders of the House and Senate, Legislators, and friends. 

 It’s so wonderful to be back. I miss this place, and I miss all of you. And I am so grateful to have the opportunity to be here today with my good friend, Representative Gabe Vasquez to address the House and to celebrate all of the work we have been doing here on behalf of the people of New Mexico.

As we stand here today, I believe we are at a major inflection point in American history. Just a week ago, a new Administration took office, a new Congress began its work, and the New Mexico Legislature ushered in a new era—swearing in the most women in the history of our state and the largest female legislative majority in American history. 

When I took my first oath of office in this chamber just six years ago, we were the first female democratic majority, and now, look how far we’ve come. It’s amazing and inspiring. And, when you look at everything you have accomplished - just in the last few years, it’s extraordinary and transformational.

We have made New Mexico the first in the nation to:

-Guarantee early childhood education

-Free college for all

-Protect Native American Voting Rights

-Protect civil rights and LGBTQ rights

And, although not a legislative win – our UNM Lobos are currently number one in the Western Conference! Go Lobos!

We have set New Mexico on a path to deliver on a promise that is as big, bold, and beautiful as our state and people. 

And, I couldn’t be more proud of the work we've done—and everything you are about to do this session. 

As I said to many of you the other night, you are the history makers and dragon slayers, and you are the leaders who will keep the state moving forward. 

As a native New Mexican, born and raised in a working family—from Farmington, New Mexico to the North Valley of Albuquerque—I believe we must continue to chart a course forward with this bold vision for our people and to always keep our communities at the center of our work.

That is why when I took the oath of office to become your Congresswoman three and a half years ago—I thought it was critical to show that New Mexico would always be at the center of my work.

In fact, after my election in 2021, the Speaker's office called and asked how I wanted to take my oath of office. As, Members can use any document they want. So, I immediately called the NM State Historian and we discussed using the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo—because of its significance to our history, our people, and our land and water. 

However, the State did not have a copy I could use. So I called a friend at the Library of Congress, and when they went to the shelf where a copy of the treaty was supposed to be, they couldn’t find it. And so, we prepared to take my oath on the U.S. Constitution as generations of Representatives had before me.

 But, just as we were leaving for the House Floor, someone arrived from the library with a box and white gloves because they had found not only a copy of the Treaty but an original from 1848 on loan from the Mexican government. 

So we walked down to the floor, and I raised my right hand just as you did here in this chamber last week, and I took my oath before the Speaker, the Creator, and the American people on the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo and the U.S. Constitution.

And, I committed that I would spend every single day I am in office working on behalf of New Mexico and our people—and the promise of building a future that is as big and bright as we can possibly imagine.

And so here we are today, three and a half years later, and I am so deeply proud of everything we’ve accomplished in Congress on behalf of our state.

We’ve delivered millions for state and local police to tackle crime and the opioid epidemic. We’ve funded and led efforts to invest in our behavioral health system and addiction recovery, including legislation to curb the flow of fentanyl into our communities, and made historic investments in public safety infrastructure—including new fire stations in the East Mountains, Sandia Pueblo, and Valencia County that will literally save lives across our rural communities. 

We’ve secured millions to invest in healthcare and housing, including Albuquerque’s first Veterans Housing Campus to help veterans experiencing homelessness.  

We’ve worked with state, local, and tribal partners to secure funding for health clinics, housing programs, and food pantries. And, we helped pass the largest expansion of veteran’s benefits in decades to help millions across the country impacted by burn pits and other toxins during their service with the PACT Act.

 We’ve passed legislation to revitalize our economy and invest in New Mexico’s home-grown businesses and entrepreneurs, including passing the largest infrastructure bill in American history, the CHIPs and Science Act, and trades bills that are investing millions in New Mexico’s economy, bringing American made manufacturing back to our state, and helping our businesses grow and thrive.

For our kids, we passed federal legislation to support New Mexico’s early childhood education fund which, you Mr. Speaker, and others, spent over a decade working to secure. We secured hundreds of millions of dollars to rebuild the To’Hajiillee Community School and early childhood education centers at Mescalero, the Pueblo Cultural Center, Sandia Pueblo, and Ruidoso.

We passed the largest climate bill not only in American history but in the history of the world and are delivering millions to our electric co-ops and New Mexico-grown businesses in the clean energy sector. We’ve funded millions in water infrastructure across the state, worked alongside you to secure funding and support in the devastating wake of the fires in Ruidoso and Mescalero, and are championing legislation for the Rio Grande, Tribal water rights, the return and protection of Tribal sacred lands, ensuring our Land Grants can be stewards of their historic lands, and are championing the RECA radiation exposure act to ensure that our people get the justice and compensation they deserve. 

And, every day, we are on the front lines working for New Mexico. Traveling the state, meeting with our communities, and delivering through our casework to help people struggling with social security, disability, and so many other needs. 

 This is the work we do in my office every day on behalf of New Mexico. And, I want to thank all of you and the state, local, tribal, and non-profit partners who work tirelessly to make it happen, including our guests here today on the Rostrum, if you could please stand—who work day in and day out on behalf of our communities. 

Let’s give our local leaders a hand. 

 But, we know there is so much work ahead. Even absent the political climate and challenging times we find ourselves in, the needs of New Mexico and our communities are great. And we must continue to deliver for them, to protect them, and to protect the values we hold so dear.

And, to do so will mean working together, reaching across the aisle, and passing legislation where we can at the state and local level to keep us moving forward while we fight to protect our democracy. 

And, as your congresswoman, I could not be more proud to be on the front lines of that fight in Washington D.C. serving in a leadership role on the new DOGE subcommittee and on the natural resources committee.

The work will be enormous, daunting, and difficult to wrap our arms around. But I know, having grown up in the North Valley, that we are up for the fight. 

So I will leave you with this. We know that there will be difficult days ahead. And, that we must remain clear-eyed about the scale of the challenges that we face. 

For those who are feeling scared and uncertain about the future of this country, know that we will fight to protect our communities, especially those who are most vulnerable. We will work to ensure that New Mexico remains a safe place for everyone across our communities. Whether you are an immigrant or have lived here since time immemorial, your people came up the Camino Real, as Homesteaders or Buffalo Soldiers, or as members of the AAPI community—Happy Year of the Snake by the way, whether your family hails from the north, south, east, or west, whether you identify as LGBTQ+ or not New Mexico is your home and you are welcome here. 

Do not give up hope. We must continue to keep showing up and doing the work because justice will prevail — and we will continue to bend the arc of history toward justice.  

And for those who embrace the changes we are seeing across the country – I implore you to not lose your humanity and to continue to work on behalf of all New Mexicans.

And my commitment to you, just as it was on that day in June in 2021 when I raised my hand and took my oath of office on the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo and the Constitution – my promise is that I will work fiercely, relentlessly, and with every ounce of grit, determination, and heart to serve our people and this great state and to live up to that vision we have laid out before us. 

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