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Stansbury Addresses D.C. "Shock and Awe"

After a hectic few days in Washington, two members of New Mexico’s congressional delegation spent Thursday at the Roundhouse.

Melanie Stansbury and Gabe Vasquez spoke for about 15 minutes each to the state legislature, detailing recent work and some of the tumult resulting from the first 10 days of the second Donald Trump administration.

After the session, Stansbury met with members of the press to discuss the Democratic party strategy in Washington.

“We’ve got to get a lot more sophisticated in how we reach Americans," Stansbury said.

"But I do think we have the winning policies. I think we have the winning ideas. I think we are on the right side of history, but we have to get a lot more sophisticated in how we interact with people.”

Stansbury also talked about the importance of using the lower courts to block what she called “shock and awe” policies, such as this week’s proposed federal funding freeze.

Only a few Republican state lawmakers remained on the House floor for the comments from Vasquez and Stansbury, but at one point she made a direct plea to her GOP colleagues and other supporters of the new president to care for all Americans. 

Stansbury further explained THAT message after the session.

“I think a lot of folks who voted for the current president feel strongly about it," Stansbury said.

“But I just think it's important to remind people that they need to embrace their humanity and care for their neighbors. And I think here in New Mexico, that's especially important.“

In the meeting with reporters, Stansbury also discussed several current state legislative proposals that she feels are important to support from her national seat, mentioning ones applying to water policy, paid family leave, labor, and immigration.

Rob Hochschild first reported news for WCIB (Falmouth, MA) and WKVA (Lewistown, PA). He later worked for three public radio stations in Boston before joining KSFR as news reporter.