Melanie Stansbury

Ms. STANSBURY

Ms. STANSBURY. Madam Speaker, I rise today to share in the relief that families across New Mexico will be receiving starting next month. Thanks to the American Rescue Plan, about 95 percent of New Mexico's children will be eligible to get money through the child tax credit. Working families with kids will get payments of up to $300 monthly per child. That means more money for childcare and to put food on the table and to support our hardworking families. I personally know the struggles that many New Mexican families face, and that is why here in Congress I am continuing to work to tackle childhood hunger and create more opportunities to lift our families out of poverty. We must make these tax credits permanent and put more money into the pockets of hardworking parents so they can get back to work and fuel our economy.

Ms. STANSBURY

Ms. STANSBURY. Mr. Speaker, I rise on this historic day in which we passed and sent to the President's desk the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act. It seems appropriate that we should also take a moment now to talk about climate justice as we are also talking about racial justice in our country. Because the science is clear, we must urgently address the issues of climate change now. We must address the causes of climate change and our greenhouse gas footprint. We must mitigate the impacts of climate change and lift up and support our communities. And we must build a world that is more just, more equitable, and more climate resilient. To do so, we must invest in our communities, investing in their future, and investing in critical infrastructure that will make that possible. The time is now to be decisive, to be brave in our policymaking, to be bold in our investments, and to lean into the science. This is especially critical for New Mexico, my home State, where we are already experiencing the impacts of extreme drought, catastrophic fires, and an uncertain future. I have spent my working career working on these issues, and I know that we must invest in infrastructure like our electric grid, broadband infrastructure, drinking water, irrigation, and green infrastructure so that our communities can remain resilient as we are going through this change and to ensure that we are taking full advantage and leaning into our clean energy future. We must do all of this through the lens of social, racial, and economic justice by investing in good paying jobs and in the livelihoods and well-being of our communities and our people. That is why we need the American Jobs Plan now and the investments that are not only going to be shovel ready, but, as a friend of mine says, also shovel worthy. So the time is now to take action on climate change and to ensure that we are investing in the infrastructure that will make it possible for future generations to live resiliently on this planet.

Ms. STANSBURY

Ms. STANSBURY. Madam Speaker, I rise today as the newest Representative for New Mexico's First Congressional District. As Secretary Deb Haaland said in her farewell before this body: We are called to service in different ways. I stand here today because I believe that we are called to build a world that is more just, more equitable, and more resilient. I ran for Congress because I believe deeply in our communities and our ability to bring meaningful change, and that the weight of history and of all future generations is on us to do so. As a New Mexican, I know that we are strong and we are proud and that our work is to lift up our communities to fight for the dignity and well-being of our people, to rebuild our economy, and to tackle the biggest challenges of our day. We are called to do this work because the moment is now, and our future depends upon it, which is why I, Madam Speaker, am so proud to be able to serve alongside you as New Mexico's next Congresswoman.