IN THE NEWS: Luján Hits the Road in New Mexico, Fighting for Families, Farmers, and Communities

Santa Fe, N.M. – During the August and September state work period, U.S. Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) traveled thousands of miles across New Mexico to hear directly from New Mexicans and highlight his work to lower costs, protect access to food and health care, support farmers and ranchers, strengthen consumer protections, and deliver for communities across the state. Sen. Luján keynotes the NMSU Domenici Public Policy Conference in Las Cruces, highlighting bipartisanship and Senator Pete Domenici’s legacy. His visits included Albuquerque, Santa Fe, Taos, Gallup, Grants, Las Cruces, Farmington, Derry, Tierra Amarilla, Las Vegas, and communities across New Mexico. Senator Luján met with families, health care providers, farmers, local leaders, advocates, and small businesses to discuss the challenges facing New Mexicans and how he is working to address them in Washington. See what New Mexico media are reporting on Senator Luján’s work across the state: Source NM – New Mexico food banks describe significant increase in demand after federal food aid cuts Officials from New Mexico food banks say recent changes to the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, as well as rising grocery costs, have dramatically increased demand at community food distribution centers across the state. A leader of Roadrunner Food Bank, the largest food bank in New Mexico, told U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) during a roundtable Tuesday that demand increased 79% at the food bank between January 2025 and January 2026, which is the most-recent data available. NM Political Report – Luján, hospital leaders talk Medicaid ‘headwinds’ and rural health gaps at Rio Rancho roundtable U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Luján, a Democrat from New Mexico, told hospital administrators at Presbyterian Rust Medical Center that Republican-backed federal Medicaid cuts won’t just hurt New Mexicans enrolled in the program — they’ll raise care and insurance costs for everyone else, too. Cibola Citizen – Luján Visits Grants Pantry as Local Families Brace for SNAP Changes U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Luján visited the Grants Community Pantry Thursday, August 20, meeting with local families, food assistance workers and service providers as changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly known as SNAP, begin raising concerns across rural New Mexico. The visit came as Cibola County continues to struggle with high levels of poverty, particularly among children. Recent Census and KIDS COUNT data indicate approximately 41.6% of children in the county live below the federal poverty line – roughly four in every 10 children. Los Alamos Daily Post – Luján Highlights Efforts To Strengthen Care For Seniors And Protect Nutrition Assistance For New Mexicans Last week in Farmington and Grants, U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) held events highlighting his efforts to expand access to home and long-term care for older New Mexicans and people with disabilities and protect nutrition assistance for New Mexico families. Gallup Sun – Luján Hosts Forum In Gallup To Raise Awareness Of Expanded Reca Compensation U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Luján, D-N.M., led a public outreach forum in Gallup Aug. 19 to raise awareness about expanded compensation available through the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act and help New Mexicans understand how they can apply for compensation. During the forum, Luján joined local leaders and advocates to provide information about expanded eligibility under RECA and the resources available to help New Mexicans apply for compensation. KSJE – U.S. Senator “RECA, Public Lands, Stroke Survivors, & More!” : With Ben Ray Lujan, & Scott Michlin The interview with Senator Ben Ray Luján focuses on healthcare, support for family caregivers, stroke research and rehabilitation, and the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA). Luján discusses his personal experience surviving a stroke and explains his efforts to improve stroke prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation services. Taos News – Ticket scammers on the rise Sen. Ben Ray Lujan helps spearhead effort to protect fans, artists and venues It all comes down to consumer safety. That’s one of the reasons U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D-NM) got involved in a growing issue involving fraudulent ticket sales. Luján put together a group of representatives from the New Mexico entertainment industry for a roundtable conversation about the issue Monday (Aug. 31) at the Taos Mesa Brewing Mothership, west of El Prado. From venues, popular music artists, associations and even the Santa Fe Opera, the participants showed how wide-ranging the issue has affected their profession. Sen. Luján’s purpose for the meeting was to unveil newly introduced legislation to ban speculative ticketing and protect ticket buyers from scams and unfair practices, a statement from the senator’s office reads. KFOX – Sen. Ben Ray Lujan hears Southern NM chile growers’ concerns over rising costs Southern New Mexico chile farmers met with U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Lujan on Tuesday to highlight the pressures facing one of the state’s signature crops. The New Mexico Democrat visited Sierra County on Tuesday, where organizers said the purpose of the visit was to hear directly from local chile producers about the challenges they face and the support they need. “In New Mexico we have a lot of what they call specialty crops, these are high-cost crops, like our chile,” Lujan said. Albuquerque Journal – Domenici conference gathers policy experts, candidates New Mexico State University’s Domenici Public Policy Conference returned after an eight-year hiatus this week, as a dozen presenters, including subject experts, past and present political officials and 2026 election candidates gave hourlong talks and took questions from NMSU students. U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Luján, D-N.M., also upheld bipartisan collaboration in his Wednesday keynote address over lunch, rooting it in the legacy of New Mexico’s finest leaders as well as President Ronald Reagan and his friendship with Democratic House Speaker Thomas “Tip” O’Neill. “Bringing people together with different approaches creates a better outcome,” Luján said, arguing further that it would be key to solving difficult policy challenges, such as supporting utility-scale renewable energy production.