{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.lujan.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/n-m-delegation-calls-on-trump-administration-to-support-states-application-for-federal-rural-health-transformation-program-funding/", "N.M. Delegation Calls on Trump Administration to Support State\u2019s Application for Federal Rural Health Transformation Program Funding", "2025-12-19", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "NM", "Ben Ray Luj\u00e1n", "L000570", "www.lujan.senate.gov", "lujan", "https://www.lujan.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/?jsf=jet-engine:press-list", "scraper", "Washington, D.C. \u2013 Today, U.S. Senators Ben Ray Luj\u00e1n (D-N.M) and Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), along with U.S. Representatives Teresa Leger Fern\u00e1ndez (D-N.M.), Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.), and Gabe Vasquez (D-N.M.), sent a letter to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz in support of New Mexico\u2019s Rural Health Transformation (RHT) Program application. The RHT program was established following the passage of the Republican Budget Betrayal, which is estimated to cut $137 billion in funding for rural hospitals across the country.\n\nIn their letter, the New Mexico delegation stresses the urgent need for federal support to meet New Mexico\u2019s rural health needs. Following cuts made to rural health care in the Republican Budget Betrayal, 6 to 8 rural hospitals are at risk of closure in New Mexico in the next 18 months, with a potential of up to 15 closures.\n\n\u201cWe write to express our enthusiastic support for New Mexico\u2019s Rural Health Transformation (RHT) Program application. As members of New Mexico\u2019s congressional delegation, we are proud to endorse our state\u2019s ambitious plan to improve health care access, quality, and sustainability across New Mexico\u2019s rural, frontier, and Tribal communities,\u201d said the lawmakers.\n\n\u201cNew Mexico\u2019s geography and demographics present unique challenges that our RHT program application will help us to address. Nearly one-third of our residents live in rural areas, and many face long travel distances to receive health care services and have limited provider availability in their immediate communities,\u201d continued the lawmakers.\n\n\u201cOur state\u2019s rural health transformation plan is also actionable, designed to deliver both immediate and long-term benefits to our rural providers and community members,\u201d concluded the lawmakers.\n\nThe full text of the letter is available here and below:\n\nDear Administrator Oz,\n\nWe write to express our enthusiastic support for New Mexico\u2019s Rural Health Transformation (RHT) Program application. As members of New Mexico\u2019s congressional delegation, we are proud to endorse our state\u2019s ambitious plan to improve health care access, quality, and sustainability across New Mexico\u2019s rural, frontier, and Tribal communities.\n\nNew Mexico\u2019s geography and demographics present unique challenges that our RHT program application will help us to address. Nearly one-third of our residents live in rural areas, and many face long travel distances to receive health care services and have limited provider availability in their immediate communities. Our rural community members often face persistent health challenges, especially chronic disease management. Additionally, although our provider community is both strong and resilient, many rural providers are facing ongoing challenges to maintain viability and their ability to deliver highly necessary services. The transformation plan defined in our state\u2019s RHT Program application offers a bold and thoughtful response to these challenges, built on suggestions received through community engagement and aligned with our state\u2019s most pressing rural health care needs.\n\nThe plan\u2019s five initiatives (Healthy Horizons, Rooted in New Mexico, the Rural Health Innovation Fund, Bridge to Resilience, and the Rural Health Data Hub) reflect a comprehensive strategy to enhance and modernize rural health care across New Mexico. These initiatives will help our state expand specialty care access, strengthen chronic disease management, build a sustainable health care workforce, support community-led and community-tailored innovation, stabilize and support rural providers, and improve data transparency and infrastructure. We are especially encouraged by the plan\u2019s commitment to keeping care close to home and respecting the sovereignty and cultural priorities of New Mexico\u2019s 23 tribal nations, pueblos, and sovereign communities.\n\nOur state\u2019s rural health transformation plan is also actionable, designed to deliver both immediate and long-term benefits to our rural providers and community members. The plan includes clear performance metrics, robust ongoing stakeholder engagement, and a sustainability plan that will help promote impact beyond the five-year funding period. By improving access to care, investing in community-designed and led solutions, empowering rural communities, and helping to stabilize our rural health care providers, New Mexico will set a national example for how to effectively use rural health transformation funding in a way that will help every rural resident, regardless of their zip code, to access the care they need to live healthy, full lives.\n\nWe urge CMS to approve and support this application. We are thankful for Governor Lujan Grisham\u2019s leadership in preparing this transformation plan and look forward to its successful implementation. Thank you for your consideration and for your continued commitment to improving health and health care access across rural America. ###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"]], "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://www.lujan.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/n-m-delegation-calls-on-trump-administration-to-support-states-application-for-federal-rural-health-transformation-program-funding/"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.95411017537117, "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"}