More than half of House Democrats voted Wednesday to strip over $3 billion in U.S. aid from Israel. All three of New Mexico's House Reps. voted in favor of the measure which was introduced by Republican Thomas Massie of Kentucky. The libertarian-leaning Massie lost his primary to a Trump-backed opponent in May.
Despite being introduced by Massie, the amendment to strip Israel aid had little Republican support. The amendment ultimately failed and will not be attached to national security spending bill. Although the amendment failed to pass, the split between Democrats shows highlights shifting attitudes in the party about Israel's war in Gaza.
Representative Teresa Leger Fernandez of New Mexico said in a statement , "Peace cannot be built with more bombs." Leger Fernandez voted against the final version of the spending bill which did pass the House.
The bill also advances the SAVE America Act, the controversial bill that would increase requirements for Americans registering to vote. So far, the SAVE America Act has lacked enough support to pass the Senate.
Groups from around the southwest have been voicing concerns after President Donald Trump signed executive orders this week that will significantly decrease the size of two Utah national monuments.
Trump signed the order on Monday which will reduce the size of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument and Bears Ears National Monument by a combined 3 million acres. Each monument will see a roughly 90 percent reduction in size.
Navajo Nation Speaker Crystalyne Curley said in a statement that the Nation QUOTE, "opposes actions that weaken protections and diminish the voices of tribes in managing these culturally significant landscapes."
An intertribal coalition has also denounced the order as well environmentalist group New Mexico Wild and U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich.
Utah Attorney General Derek Brown called the order, "a step in the right direction." Brown and two Utah counties sued the federal government in 2022 claiming that Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante exceeded federal limits for monument size.
