NM delegation braces for Trump presidency

No one can predict what the next four years will bring under the administration of Republican President-elect Donald Trump.

But in New Mexico, members of the state’s all-Democratic congressional delegation are bracing for a rough ride.

The state, which voted for Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris in Tuesday’s high-stakes presidential race, relies heavily on federal funding, and Trump has called for cuts to federal agencies.

Democrats have other concerns, including Trump’s plans for mass deportations, which officials say would tear families apart and deliver a blow to businesses already struggling to find employees in the state.

His win has other implications, at least for some high-profile Democrats from New Mexico who stand to lose their jobs: Interior Secretary Deb Haaland and Xochitl Torres Small, a former U.S. representative appointed by President Joe Biden to serve as deputy secretary of agriculture.

But Republican Party of New Mexico Chairman Steve Pearce is confident Democrats’ concerns are overblown.

“He (Trump) is going to get the price of gas down … you will see an overall tightening across the country on crime … and I think he will start to bring some of the jobs back from China – just a lot of things that will really have a positive effect on people’s lives,” Pearce said Tuesday in a phone interview.

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said she has “serious concerns” about another Trump presidency.

“There are many policies that New Mexico stands for that he stands against, ranging from Medicaid expansion to reproductive freedoms to the development of a high-tech, renewable energy economy and more,” she said.

The governor said her administration is preparing for a wide range of scenarios and “will not hesitate to fight” for New Mexicans when the federal government’s proposals are bad for the state.

Pearce said Democrats’ concerns are just “hype.”

“They’re just trying to create alarm,” he said.

‘Extreme plans’

of Project 2025

Among Democrats’ biggest concerns is Project 2025, a blueprint for a conservative presidency that calls for an overhaul of the federal government. The controversial plan, Democrats say, could have far-reaching, negative consequences for the state.

On the campaign trail, Trump distanced himself from Project 2025. During his visit to New Mexico on Oct. 31, he denied ever even reading it.

But Democrats don’t believe him.

“I won’t sugarcoat it,” U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich, New Mexico’s senior senator, said in a statement.

“The return of President-elect Donald Trump to the White House presents incredible challenges for New Mexico, and we must take those threats seriously,” he said. “Trump and his allies have laid out extreme plans that could devastate New Mexicans’ livelihoods, dismantle hard-won progress, and roll back fundamental rights and freedoms, putting our families, communities and future at risk.”

U.S. Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández said the consequences of the presidential election are “particularly disastrous” for New Mexico. For example, she said, Democrats have been successfully fighting a Farm Bill in Congress that would cut $30 billion from nutrition programs, including the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

“With a Trump presidency, they will cut that funding,” she said. “We are talking about so many children and mothers and veterans and elderly who could go hungry because of a Trump victory.”

GOP Chair: Major cuts not likely

Trump and his supporters have expressed interest in severely cutting the federal budget. Elon Musk said he could cut $2 trillion, given the chance.

Much of the Democrats’ concerns about a Republican-led nation are based on New Mexico’s reliance on federal funding. About 30% of the state budget comes from the feds.

But Pearce, the state’s GOP chairman, said he’s doubtful we’ll see any major budget cuts in New Mexico or Washington, D.C.

“I’ll believe a $2 trillion cut when I see it,” he said.

“I haven’t seen either party with the will to balance the budget. Spending needs to be cut, but we can do it without cutting services at all. I think we can do it without harming peoples’ everyday lives.”

If cuts are coming, Pearce said he believes they will be in the form of grants “that are not productive” and “handouts to solar companies, wind companies … a lot of them went to companies that are not even in business anymore.”

“I don’t think you’ll see major cuts in programs or in the ability of agencies to function,” Pearce said.

Social Security? “That’s just a scare tactic from Democrats. If Trump is able to secure the border and return people to their homeland, that will cut leakage out of Social Security,” Pearce said.

Military bases? “Again, that’s thrown out as a scare tactic. Trump says he will rebuild the military.”

Funding for water projects, such as the Ute Water Pipeline? “Both parties have a tremendous aversion to pumping $300 million or $400 million into something and then saying ‘We’re not going to finish it.’”

Helen Gaussoin, a spokesperson for the New Mexico Legislative Finance Committee, noted Trump is not likely to take actions domestically to affect the oil and gas industry, which the state depends on for revenue. Still, she said, his actions on the international stage could impact energy markets.

Gaussoin cautioned mass deportations, a pillar of Trump’s campaign, would be a hard hit on businesses that already can’t fill jobs, and the tariffs he’s proposed could be inflationary.

“We also will be closely watching federal fund allocations to the state,” Gaussoin added. “If they are cut back, the Legislature will have to decide whether to backfill with state funds or reduce services.”

Daniel J. Chacón of The Santa Fe New Mexican and David Stevens of The Eastern New Mexico News contributed to this report.