An opportunity for New Mexico’s Conservatives

 The May Senate Appropriations Committee hearing witnessed a tense interaction between Senator Heinrich and Secretary Haaland, a clear indication of the fracturing within the Santa Fe Democrats.

Why on Earth is there No Funding? Senator Heinrich (video)

In 2022, U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and U.S. Representative Teresa Leger Fernández (D-N.M.) achieved a significant milestone with the signing of their bipartisan legislation, the Safeguard Tribal Objects of Patrimony (STOP) Act, into law by President Joe Biden. This act, aimed at ending the trafficking of Native American artifacts, was a crucial step in protecting our cultural heritage.

During the May 2024 Senate Appropriations Committee hearing, Senator Heinrich's frustration was palpable. He pointed out that the STOP Act, which he and Representative Leger Fernández had worked so hard to pass, had been left without any funding. He asked Secretary Haaland, “Why on Earth is there no funding in the budget for STOP Act?" Secretary Haaland's response, that there were funds available in the different agencies, did little to assuage his concerns.  

Secretary Haaland Shortchanges Native Americans and the Dine in particular

The Great American Outdoors Act was passed by Congress and signed into law by President Trump in 2020. The two primary components of the Act were to fully fund the Land and Water Conservation Fund at $900 million per year and provide $9.5 billion over five years to address maintenance at our National Parks (from Wikipedia).

During the May 2024 Appropriation Committee hearing, Senator Heinrich asked Secretary Haaland what percentage of funding had been awarded in fiscal years 2021 and 2021. Secretary Haaland could not answer the question, so her aide, Denise Flanagan, did so on her behalf. Overall, it was 86%; specifically, the Fish and Wildlife was 95% obligated, the National Park Service was 85%, the Bureau of Land Management was 70%, and the Bureau of Indian Affairs was 34%. Senator Heinrich specifically asked why the 2020 funding for the Navajo Preparatory Academy HVAC system has not been installed. Why hasn’t the new Navajo Nation Crystal Board School building been constructed since it has been on the list since 2016?

Secretary Haaland reduced funding for NAWCA while the Interior budget increased by 5%

The North American Wetlands Conservation Act was signed into law by President George H. Bush in 1989. The Act authorizes a wetland habitat program that provides grants to protect and manage wetland habitats for migratory birds and other wetland wildlife in Canada, the United States, and Mexico. The program encourages private-public cost-sharing projects. (from Wikipedia)

During the May 2024 Appropriations Committee hearing, Senator Heinrich stated that NAWCA was the federal government's most successful private-public cost-sharing program. It provides important habitat for wetland while promoting cooperation between Canada, the United States, and Mexico. Historically, NAWCA receives $49 million per year in funding, but Secretary Haaland has decreased this important program by $16 million.

I am not the only individual seeing this fracture of the Santa Fe Democrats. Javier Martinez, Speaker of the NM House of Representatives, attempted to address this rift. Martinez’s editorial in the Albuquerque Journal titled, “Dem’s supposed division will be bridged by shared beliefs.”  

Santa Fe Democrats' “shared beliefs” have resulted in the trampling of the sovereignty of the Navajo Nation. They are shutting down New Mexico’s churches while allowing Corporate America’s Big Box stores to remain open, transferring parental rights to government bureaucrats, taking water rights from rural communities, and destroying family businesses (ranches and restaurants) with government regulations and our majestic landscape with miles of solar panels, wind turbines, and high voltage power lines. Families are in their homes behind burglar bars while criminals are not. They ended Lobo’s men’s soccer program while allowing men to compete in women’s sports. Replace God’s hand in choosing the gender of our children and replace religious tolerance with antisemitism. Teardown the monuments to our rich Native American, Spanish, and European heritage and plant foreign flags of the recent immigrants in their place.  

Javier Martinez stated,” We work to find common ground without comprising our values.” They may not have comprised their values, but they have sacrificed ours. Tearing down the societal norms and replacing them with theirs, also known as Mao Zedong’s “Smash the Four Olds (破四旧).” Replace “Land of Enchantment” with One Albuquerque and SOMOS (we are one), also known as China’s Harmonious Society ( 和谐社会).

Conservatives can stem the tide that is washing over our state. We must be unified; we are stronger together than we are separate. We must win their hearts; we love the people of New Mexico. We must win their minds; tomorrow will be better than today. We must give all New Mexicans a reason to smile, not just the Santa Fe Democrats.

Days after this article was published, Blaze Media (a national online newspaper) published an article titled “Democrats' civil war breaks the surface.” We aim to provide you with head-of-the-curve articles with a path to overcome the challenge.