This Week in Trump Administration Oversight and Accountability: Senator Luján Standing Up for New Mexico Amidst the Chaos, Confusion, and Corruption

Washington, D.C. – This week, amidst the chaos, confusion, and corruption shown by Elon Musk and the Trump administration, U.S. Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) took the following actions to hold the Administration accountable and stand up for New Mexicans in Washington:

Senator Luján and the New Mexico Delegation on Thursday night urged the Trump administration to stop the unlawful mass firings of probationary federal employees. In New Mexico, there are approximately 2,200 federal employees in their probationary period – including individuals who serve in critical roles across key agencies, including the Veterans Health Administration, the Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Forest Service, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, among others.

“Abruptly terminating these employees without due process would not only undermine the delivery of essential government services but would also have widespread economic consequences for our state. Federal employment is a major contributor to New Mexico’s economy, supporting thousands of families and generating significant local revenue. Large-scale firings of probationary employees would ripple through our communities, reducing consumer spending, straining local businesses, and creating unnecessary economic instability,” the lawmakers wrote in their letter to President Trump.

Senator Luján, a member of the Senate Committee on Finance, joined colleagues to tell Elon Musk and “DOGE” to keep their hands off Americans’ Medicaid and Medicare. In New Mexico, one in three New Mexicans rely on Medicare and over 780,000 individuals rely on Medicaid to access health care.

The lawmakers urged, “It is dangerously unacceptable that an unelected Musk and his unqualified acolytes have access to sensitive CMS systems and are ready to bypass Congress to make life and death decisions affecting millions of Americans. No one asked for this lawless approach to our critical government health care systems. We urge you to stop this threat to Americans’ health care, now.”

Senators Luján and Heinrich joined all Senate Democrats in raising alarm over the Trump administration pushing illegal indiscriminate funding cuts to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and derailing life-saving research. New Mexico universities conduct research from substance use disorders to cancer treatment and are among the institutions impacted.

“Our standing as a world leader in funding and producing new medical and scientific innovations has been put at risk by these recent actions from the Trump Administration. We urge you to stop playing political games with the lifesaving work of the NIH and to allow NIH research to continue uninterrupted,” the Senators wrote to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.

Senator Luján and members of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee condemned the weaponization of the Federal Communications Commission against broadcasters and public media. Across New Mexico, 15 public media organizations rely on over $5.8 million in grants through the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) to deliver news, entertainment, and much more.

The lawmakers said, “We urge you both to follow the Constitution, immediately cease abusing the FCC’s legal authority, and return to the evidence-based decision-making that has been a staple of the Commission’s long and storied history.”

Senators Luján and Heinrich joined their colleagues to fight for the safety of families and communities in the wake of the funding freeze preventing the hiring and onboarding of seasonal fighters. This comes as the West continues to be ravaged by deadly wildfires.

“Although there is an urgent need to hire more federal firefighters, the Trump Administration’s hiring freeze does the opposite and is pausing hiring at a critical time for this already understaffed workforce,” they continued. “We urge you to put the safety of families and communities across the country first and allow the federal seasonal firefighter hiring process to continue without delay.”

Senate Democratic Leadership announced this week a new portal for federal employees who want to disclose information about wrongdoing, abuses of power, and threats to public safety.

“In just three weeks, President Trump has shown New Mexicans that his administration is willing to disregard the rule of law, recklessly terminate civil servants, and disband government agencies that Americans depend on. Senate Democrats are committed to holding the Trump administration accountable and courageous whistleblowers will be invaluable to the mission of providing a check on the Executive Branch,” the Senator said.

Additionally, Senator Luján voted against the following nominees this week to stand up for New Mexicans’ security, health and well-being, and economic opportunities:

• Tulsi Gabbard to serve as the Director of National Intelligence. Ms. Gabbard has a long history of spreading lies, defending America’s adversaries, sympathizing with dictators, and is a threat to our national security. Read Senator Luján’s full statement here.

• Robert F. Kennedy Jr. – who has pushed and profited off of conspiracy theories – to serve as Secretary of Health and Human Services. Throughout Mr. Kennedy’s nomination process, he made it abundantly clear that he will continue to push conspiracy theories and health misinformation while being a rubber stamp for President Trump at the expense of American families’ health care. Read Senator Luján’s full statement here.

• Brooke Rollins to serve as Secretary of the Department of Agriculture. The Trump administration abandoned New Mexico’s farmers, ranchers, and acequia parciantes and left them on the hook for millions of dollars. Read Senator Luján’s full statement here.

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