Teresa Leger Fernandez
DFarmers, big and small, are struggling with the high price of diesel that came from the Iran war. Let’s end this costly and illegal war NOW. https://t.co/eh6Y8yXj5i
One of the largest farms in New Mexico, the Navajo Agricultural Products Industry (NAPI), is struggling thanks to the high cost of fuel. Even for larger producers, Trump’s war has a negative impact on their bottom line. Imagine what it’s like for small farmers. This war must end not only for our farmers but for everyone in New Mexico.
I met with the Mayors of Aztec, Farmington and Bloomfield. Their number one priority was putting in a rail line. I secured 4 million dollars in federal funding for a rail line planning grant. We will keep working together to get this train rolling. https://t.co/DQ5dLL8OMQ
Dawn slowly emerged as 140 floats and close to 100,000 people showed up in Shiprock for the 113th Northern Navajo Fair Parade! Spending time at the Fair with the Diné is one of the great honors of serving and celebrating the communities of the 3d Congressional district. https://t.co/Gtkvf8rgZm
What does your mail-in ballot have to do with members of Congress trading stocks? Absolutely nothing. But Republicans still slipped new restrictions on voting by mail into their fake stock trading ban — while leaving the President out of the ban. I voted NO. You should be able to vote by mail. And elected officials should not be able to trade stocks.
It’s the war, it’s his attack on clean energy projects, it’s his tariffs. Trump’s policies will cause Americans to pay more for energy. Sadly, the Republican Congress pushed all these policies and now families are paying the price.
Trump’s economy: Gas at $4+ dollars Electric bills through the roof Unemployment up Paychecks the same Grocery carts emptier
While you pay more for gas, Trump is making millions buying and selling oil and gas stocks. I’m ready to ban Trump and all members of Congress from trading all stocks TODAY. Sadly, Republicans aren’t. https://t.co/eHkPLoz42b
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Representatives Teresa Leger Fernández (D-NM-03), Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (D-VA-03), Representative Adelita Grijalva (D-AZ-07), Madeleine Dean (D-PA-04), and Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) introduced the America’s College Promise Act of 2026. The bill would make community college and two-year Tribal Colleges and Universities more accessible by waiving tuition fees for eligible students. “In New Mexico, we know free community college can unlock the doors to a brighter future. The America’s College Promise Act builds on New Mexico’s example by making sure students across the country can attend community college without the burden of tuition and fees,” said Representative Leger Fernández. “Our bill will provide funds for services students need to earn their degrees and reduce the financial burden for low-income students to attend TCUs, HBCUs, and MSIs. From recent high school graduates to experienced workers who want to go back to school — every student deserves the opportunity to keep learning without the fear of drowning in debt.” “Community colleges play a unique and vital role in providing students access to a quality postsecondary degree. Regrettably, the chronic underfunding of community colleges is jeopardizing their ability to support their students and communities,” said House Education and Workforce Committee Ranking Member Scott (D-VA-03). “The America’s College Promise Act is a major investment in expanding opportunities for students and rebuilding a stronger economy.” “Students in Southern Arizona and throughout the country should not have to take on tens of thousands of dollars of debt to get a college education,” said Representative Grijalva. “The America’s College Promise Act will provide two years of free in-state tuition and fees for students enrolled in community and technical college programs. Whether they’re just starting out or returning to the classroom later in life, every student deserves the opportunity to learn new skills and pursue higher education. By expanding access to education and workforce training, we’re strengthening the workforce that businesses and local economies depend on.” “As a professor, it was a privilege to witness students claim their education and seize their futures — yet the real fear and burden of immense student loan debt often deters young adults and returning students from expanding their learning,” said Representative Dean. “The America’s College Promise Act provides tuition-free community college courses and expands funding for HBCUs and trade schools, making the path to higher education and career readiness available to more Americans and future generations.” “Every Wisconsinite deserves the opportunity to get the education and skills they need to land a good-paying job and build a better life, no matter where they come from or how much money their family makes,” said Senator Baldwin. “But for too many working families, the rising cost of higher education leaves students saddled with debt for years to come, or it is simply out of reach. That’s why I am proud to work with my colleagues to remove barriers and lower the cost of community college, so more Wisconsinites have the opportunity to compete, succeed, and live a good middle-class life.” The America’s College Promise Act of 2026 will make the skills and credentials necessary to succeed in the workforce more accessible to all students by creating a new federal-state partnership to provide two years of tuition-free community college. Specifically, the America’s College Promise Act of 2026: Creates a partnership between the federal government and states to waive tuition and fees for two years of community and technical college programs for eligible students, while promoting key reforms to accelerate student success; Creates a sliding scale for federal share beginning at 100 percent for the first year and ending at 80 percent for the fifth and subsequent years; Ensures that programs offer academic credits that are transferable to four-year institutions in their state, or occupational training that leads to recognized credentials; Maintains and encourages state funding for higher education; Establishes a student success fund to improve enrollment, retention, transfer, or completion rates and labor market outcomes for underserved student populations, including students of color and low-income and first-generation college students, who attend community and technical colleges at disproportionate rates; Waives two years of tuition and fees for eligible students at tribal colleges and universities; and Establishes a new grant program to provide pathways to success at historically black colleges and universities and minority-serving institutions by covering a significant portion of tuition and fees for the first two years of attendance for low-income students. To read the bill text for the America’s College Promise Act of 2026, click here. To read the fact sheet for America’s College Promise Act of 2026, click here.
It’s a new school year, which means our high school art students will have the opportunity to compete in the national Congressional Art Competition! Deadlines for the 2027 competition will be announced in January but it’s never too early to start thinking about art in New Mexico! For more information, call my office at (505)428-4680 https://t.co/c9xuzOAmNP
We need to change the culture that lets sexual violence happen, on campus, on the Hill and everywhere else.
Republicans are praising a “stock trading ban” that is fool’s gold — empty on the inside. It lets members keep and sell stocks, and leaves out President Trump and his administration. We have an actual ban that would stop Trump and his friends from profiting off their positions. We should be lowering costs for families, not filling the President’s pockets.
Today I met with the newest director of the Hermit’s Peak/ Calf Canyon claims office. I made it clear that the office must deliver the remaining funds to New Mexicans impacted by the fire. It’s been a long road of recovery, but I will keep pushing to make sure everyone is paid what they’re owed.
Four years ago, the flames of the Hermit’s Peak/Calf Canyon Fire stopped. But our fight did not. We’ve made real progress, but too many survivors are still waiting for the money we secured. I won’t stop fighting until every family gets the chance to begin again. https://t.co/Ox5hQ5zh97
The role of government is to protect us from greedy corporations. Data centers want our water, our land, and our power. Communities may want the jobs they could bring to New Mexico. But we will not give them a blank check. I will only support data centers that pay their own way, protect our precious water, create good-paying union jobs, use clean energy, and earn the support of the communities where they want to build. Our water. Our land. Our power. Our say. Those are New Mexico’s terms.
SANTA FE, NM — Today, Congresswoman Teresa Leger Fernández (NM-03) unveiled her No Blank Checks for Data Centers Principles, a set of clear standards to protect New Mexico families, water, land, and local communities as companies seek to build massive data centers across the state. The Congresswoman called for a moratorium on new data center development in New Mexico until companies meet the principles she laid out. “The role of government is to protect us from greedy corporations,” said Congresswoman Leger Fernández. "Data centers want our water, our land, and our power. Communities may want the jobs they could bring to New Mexico. But we will not give them a blank check. I will only support data centers that pay their own way, protect our precious water, create good-paying union jobs, use clean energy, and earn the support of the communities where they want to build. Data centers must work for New Mexico, not the other way around. Communities must know how much water and electricity these projects will use, who will pay for them, and what residents will receive in return. If a project cannot answer those questions, it should not move forward. Congress must act to regulate data centers with these principles in mind. We cannot let AI and data centers regulate themselves.” The Congresswoman’s platform requires data centers to meet six principles: No Blank Checks for Data Centers Principles Don’t hike up electric bills. Data centers must pay for their own electricity and infrastructure without passing their costs on to New Mexico families. Don’t negatively impact water resources in the area. Use energy sources that meet New Mexico’s renewable energy and zero-carbon requirements. Create good-paying union jobs. Get community approval and do consultation before permitting and building. No taxpayer subsidies, projects must provide community benefits. “Our water. Our land. Our power. Our say,” said Leger Fernández. “Those are New Mexico’s terms.” Leger Fernández also linked her data center standards to a broader call for federal oversight of artificial intelligence. In a post earlier this week, she said: “Trump called AI concerns “a HOAX.” He said opponents of data centers “want to end up being backwards and poor.” No, Mr. President, Americans want Congress and you to do your job protecting humanity, protecting our utility bills, and protecting us from out-of-control, corrupt greed. A principal role of government is to protect the American people. Safety must always be our first mandate. It is also the government’s job to protect the American people from unmitigated greed. The billionaires that you are listening to now would prefer the government stay on the sidelines. But the U.S. government knows how to regulate corporate greed and how to address new technologies that could destroy our world. What we do now will matter. We cannot just let AI and data centers regulate themselves or depend on their goodwill to lower utility costs and limit the most destructive possibilities inherent in this rapidly evolving technology. We must let local communities have a say in what is built in their neighborhoods so they can protect their water, environment, and cost burdens. But Congress must act. There must be a strong, enforceable national regulatory framework. We must have civil and criminal liability. We must protect the local and national financial interests of working families. It is not a hoax, Mr. President. And we have a job to do.”
My bill will make sure the Navajo Nation, Taos Pueblo, and the Pueblos of Nambé, Pojoaque, San Ildefonso, and Tesuque are paid the money they are owed. This money will help tribal communities develop water infrastructure they need. It’s time for the House to pass this bill and uphold our promises to tribes.
On Sunday, we celebrated Route 66 and lowrider culture en comunidad. The Route 66 National Historic Trail Designation Act and my National Lowrider Day resolution honor the people and traditions that make this culture part of New Mexico’s story. Let’s make them the law of the land!
Trump is literally launching a state-run media channel instead of working to make stuff cheaper. I wonder if he’ll go on there and say gas is $2. He’s scared of the truth.
Trump called AI concerns “a HOAX.” He said opponents of data centers “want to end up being backwards and poor.” No, Mr. President, Americans want Congress and you to do your job protecting humanity, protecting our utility bills, and protecting us from out-of-control, corrupt greed. A principal role for government is to protect the American people. Safety must always be our first mandate. It is also the government’s job to protect the American people from unmitigated greed. The billionaires that you are listening to now would prefer the government stay on the sidelines. But the U.S. government knows how to regulate corporate greed and how to address new technologies that could destroy our world. The robber barons of the Gilded Age amassed enormous fortunes while working families struggled. Soon thereafter, unchecked Wall Street speculation and a devastating stock market crash helped plunge America into the Great Depression. President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Democrats responded with landmark reforms to rein in Wall Street, protect working families, and prevent another financial catastrophe. They established the Securities and Exchange Commission to police the stock market, created Social Security to provide economic security for Americans, and enacted the first federal minimum wage to protect workers from exploitation. When we invented and exploded the atomic bomb in New Mexico in 1944, the scientist who oversaw it, J. Robert Oppenheimer, said, “now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds.” He realized that this new technology could mean the end of humankind. After Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the United States, Congress, and our top scientists worked to limit the spread of nuclear weapons, even while many of the scientific inventions coming out of that discovery made their way into our business community and way of life. What we do now will matter. We cannot just let AI and data centers regulate themselves or depend on their goodwill to lower utility costs and limit the most destructive possibilities inherent in this rapidly evolving technology. We must let local communities have a say in what is built in their neighborhoods so they can protect their water, environment, and cost burdens. But Congress must act. There must be a strong, enforceable national regulatory framework. We must have civil and criminal liability. We must protect the local and national financial interests of working families. It is not a hoax, Mr. President. And we have a job to do.
ICE shot Wilbur in his car in Austin yesterday. Now, his family doesn’t even know where he is. His family deserves answers. The American people deserve the truth. Release the body camera footage. Tell us where Wilbur is.
Let’s protect the herencia and values we hold dear.
New Mexico now has a prominent seat at the table to shape our country’s future. I’ll make sure candidates come to our state, visit rural communities and listen to what New Mexicans need: affordable health care, housing and lower energy costs.
Women across the country are suffering from complications tied to healthcare restrictions every day. Doctors who provide life-saving care are being attacked. Women are forced to travel further for care that should be widely accessible. New Mexico has worked to protect reproductive rights and fought for women. I will continue to fight for access to the life-saving care that we all deserve. Thank you, Planned Parenthood, for all that you do and for this award.
Republicans went home while the affordability crisis worsens and gas prices are through the roof. I am here ready to work to lower prices. https://t.co/ITnxvFATws