Rep. Gabe Vasquez Honors New Mexico Veterans at Mesilla Veterans Day Ceremony

WASHINGTON, D.C.- On November 11, 2025, U.S. Representative Gabe Vasquez (NM-02)commemorated Veterans Day by meeting with local veterans at a ceremony in Mesilla. The Veterans Day ceremony, hosted by the Town of Mesilla at Parque de los Veteranos, included remarks from the Congressman, the raising of colors, a singing of the national anthem, remarks from veterans, and more. During the event, Rep. Vasquez spoke with veterans in attendance about the top issues they face today, including health care access and the need for more network providers within community care.

"As Americans, we owe a deep debt of gratitude to the service members who have worn our nation's uniform throughout history," said Rep. Vasquez. "It is because of their sacrifices that we are able to live with freedom, opportunity, and the promise of a better tomorrow in the greatest country on Earth. On Veterans Day, it's imperative we pause to reflect on our veterans' service in times of both war and peace and the values they have fought so dearly to defend."

Rep. Vasquez remains steadfast in his support of our nation's veterans and their families. His ongoing work to champion the issues veterans care about most includes:

• His leadership of the bipartisan Veteran Education Assistance Adjustment Act to increase the annual GI Bill book stipend from $1,000 to $1,400 (with annual adjustments for inflation)
• His efforts to improve veteran health care with the introduction of his bipartisan New Mexico Rural Veteran Health Care Access Actto allow veterans in Otero and Eddy Counties to receive services at the El Paso VA facility (rather than having to travel hundreds of miles to the Albuquerque location)
• His support of the bipartisan Rural Veterans Transportation to Care Act, which expands the VA's Highly Rural Transportation Grant Program to give more veterans living in rural New Mexico free transportation to doctors appointments
• His leadership of the charge to memorialize New Mexicans killed during World War II with his Las Cruces Bataan Memorial Clinic Act, which would rename the Las Cruces Community-Based Outpatient Clinic (CBOC) after the Bataan Death March.
• His ongoing fight to improve employment opportunities for veterans, including through his Honor and Hire Veterans Act to expand Work Opportunity Tax Credits (WOTC) for businesses who hire veterans and his support of the bipartisan VET Act which creates a Department of Labor grant program to hire more veterans and military spouses in the energy and manufacturing sector.
• His push to expand retirement and disability benefits for veterans through cosponsorship of the bipartisan Major Richard Star Act,which allows combat-injured veterans to concurrently receive both their VA disability and military retirement pay. Current law only allows veterans to receive one or the other.

The Congressman also remains a strong supporter of our nation's active military servicemembers and their families. Throughout the ongoing government shutdown, the Congressman has been a leaderin the push to guarantee pay for active duty service members, with nearly 80 House Democrats joining his letterdemanding that Speaker Johnson pass a permanent legislative solution to guarantee troop pay for the duration of the shutdown.

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