{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://stansbury.house.gov/media/press-releases/nm-congressional-democrats-fight-include-25-billion-new-mexicans-impacted", "N.M. Congressional Democrats Fight To Include $2.5 Billion For New Mexicans Impacted By Hermit\u2019s Peak/Calf Canyon Fires In Government Spending Proposal", "2022-09-27", "2022", "2022-09", "Democrat", "House", "NM", "Melanie A. Stansbury", "S001218", "stansbury.house.gov", "stansbury", "https://stansbury.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 As Congress finalizes negotiations on a stopgap government funding bill, U.S. Senators Martin Heinrich (N.M.) and Ben Ray Luj\u00e1n (N.M.) and U.S. Representatives Teresa Leger Fern\u00e1ndez (N.M.-03) and Melanie Stansbury (N.M.-01) are fighting for $2.5 billion to support New Mexico residents and business owners impacted by this year\u2019s Hermit's Peak/Calf Canyon fires. New Mexico\u2019s Congressional Democrats are working to include the funding, along with the Hermit\u2019s Peak/Calf Canyon Fire Assistance Act, in a Continuing Resolution proposal to ensure the federal government remains funded.\n\nThe Hermit\u2019s Peak/Calf Canyon Fire Assistance Act is led by Senator Luj\u00e1n and Representative Leger Fern\u00e1ndez, and co-sponsored by Senator Heinrich and Representative Stansbury. While Senate Democrats are fighting for inclusion of the bill in the funding legislation, Senate Republicans have not yet agreed. This proposal still must be voted on in both the Senate and the House this week.\n\n\u201cThe Hermit\u2019s Peak and Calf Canyon fires have had an immeasurable impact on lives, livelihoods, and cherished landscapes. As the fires spread and in their aftermath, we witnessed as the people affected worked day and night to save their homes and their neighbors. They have embodied the tenacity and resilience that is characteristically New Mexican \u2013 and now they need the resources to right the wrongs of these fires. As a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, I am working to pull every lever possible to deliver the resources these New Mexicans need and deserve. With many negotiations still ahead, I\u2019m proud to be working with our Congressional Delegation and Democratic leadership in the Senate and House to do everything we can to get this funding across the finish line,\u201dsaid Heinrich, a member of the Senate Committee on Appropriations.\n\n\u201cNew Mexico experienced the largest wildfire in state history that was started by the federal government and wreaked havoc on homes, businesses, and communities. The federal government has a moral obligation to make New Mexicans whole and help communities recover and rebuild. As the Senate sponsor of the Hermit\u2019s Peak/Calf Canyon Fire Assistance Act, I am glad that this vital legislation will be included in the upcoming continuing resolution,\u201d said Luj\u00e1n. \u201cI am grateful for the partnership of Rep. Leger Fern\u00e1ndez and our delegation colleagues. As we work to keep the government funded this week, we will continue fighting hard to get this legislation across the finish line.\u201d\n\n\u201cYesterday, I heard stories from students, ranchers, acequia members and families who shared how the fires and floods ravaged their treasured places where they expected to see future generations thrive,\u201dsaid Leger Fern\u00e1ndez. \u201cI\u2019ve seen the damage, felt the pain, and heard the sorrow. But I was also inspired by the strength of those affected by the fires. I\u2019ve been carrying their stories; their hopes and their hardship with me to Congress. I vowed that I would pursue every possible opportunity to seek justice and we successfully passed the Hermit\u2019s Peak/Calf Canyon Fire Assistance Act twice through the House. We know that including it in the budget is difficult. Yet justice is on our side and the stories of our New Mexican fire survivors resonate in the halls of Congress.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe inclusion of the Hermit\u2019s Peak/Calf Canyon relief funding in the budget proposal is an important step forward to heal the wounds the fire caused. Many families have lived in these areas for hundreds of years and we are fighting to make sure they can continue to live, work, and learn there for generations. We are hopeful the budget proposal will pass with the funding intact, but understand there are many uncertainties. While we monitor final passage of the budget proposal, I will not let up my fight to get compensation for our fire victims signed into law,\u201dconcluded Leger Fern\u00e1ndez.\n\n\u201cThe inclusion of funding in the continuing resolution to help those impacted by the Hermits Peak and Calf Canyon fires is a major victory for New Mexico. While our communities are resilient, the federal government has a responsibility to address the harm caused by the largest wildfires in New Mexico\u2019s history,\u201dsaid Stansbury. \u201cWe have worked shoulder-to-shoulder with our delegation and the administration to secure the resources New Mexicans need to rebuild, and I am proud that this funding is included in the must-pass funding bill announced today. We will do everything we can every day to get this over the finish line to ensure New Mexicans are made whole again.\u201d\n\nBeginning April 6, 2022, the Hermit\u2019s Peak Fire started as a result of an approved prescribed fire plan ignited by the U.S. Forest Service fire personnel in the Santa Fe National Forest. Hermit\u2019s Peak Fire subsequently merged with the Calf Canyon Fire - a holdover fire from a prescribed pile burn conducted by the U.S. Forest Service - to become the largest fire in New Mexico\u2019s history. The Hermit\u2019s Peak/Calf Canyon Fires resulted in evacuations of more than 25,000 individuals in San Miguel and Mora Counties, destroyed 900 homes and structures, and scorched 341,735 acres (534 square miles) of land.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T03:08:33Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://stansbury.house.gov/media/press-releases/nm-congressional-democrats-fight-include-25-billion-new-mexicans-impacted"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.9825979359447956, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}