Rep. Gabe Vasquez Demands Action to Expand Care and Benefits for Rural New Mexico Veterans

WASHINGTON, D.C. - On September 2, 2026, U.S. Representative Gabe Vasquez (NM-02) called for immediate action to ensure veterans living in rural and southern New Mexico can access the healthcare, benefits, and assistance they put their lives on the line to earn. After a recent meeting with veterans in Socorro, Vasquez sent a letter to Secretary of Veterans Affairs Douglas Collins demanding that the VA expand in-person assistance and outreach in rural communities, including by placing a full-time VA liaison in Socorro.

"New Mexico veterans - especially those living in rural areas - should never feel left behind by their government. We should be making it easier for them to access the benefits they have earned by serving our country, and I urge the VA to take meaningful action to expand access to services, benefits, and assistance to all veterans, starting by placing a full time liaison in Socorro and allowing veterans in southeast New Mexico to access service in El Paso," said Vasquez in the letter.

In the letter, Vasquez goes on to lay out a clear solutions to barriers that have continued to block New Mexican veterans accessing their benefits:

• Fix outdated VA regional boundaries that force veterans in Otero and Eddy counties to travel hours toward Albuquerque instead of accessing VA care closer to home in El Paso, building on Vasquez's New Mexico Rural Veteran Health Care Access Act
• Increase VA staffing and in-person assistance across New Mexico, including placing a full-time VA liaison in Socorro, and reversing VA staffing cuts

Vasquez also noted how the Administration's cuts to VA funding and staffing have shortchanged New Mexico veterans, noting, "The recent restructuring and massive staffing cuts has exacerbated these issues, especially for our rural veterans who cannot easily access in-person resources. Existing VA staffing shortages are already causing delays for surgeries, making it hard to access mental health care, and devastating morale for providers, employees, and veterans. This Administration cut nearly 28,000 jobs including 2,700 nurses, over 1,000 medical officers, and more than 1,000 psychologists and social workers. In New Mexico, 172 Veterans Affairs staff were cut which was 4.7% of the NM VA workforce."

Vasquez's longstanding record of supporting New Mexico's veterans includes:

• Leading the New Mexico Rural Veteran Health Care Access Act, a bill to add Otero and Eddy county to the Veteran Integrated Service Network (VISN) 22, so that New Mexico veterans who live in these counties can be eligible to access care at the El Paso VA Medical Center which is far closer than many other VA healthcare facilities.
• Introducing the Veteran Education Assistance Adjustment Act, bipartisan legislation to increase the yearly book and supply stipend for student veterans which hasn't been updated since 2008. If passed, it would increase the stipend from $1,000 to $1,400 and adjust for inflation.
• The Feed Our Veterans Act, legislation Vasquez introduced and fought for during the most recent Farm Bill markup, to combat food insecurity among veterans and protect them from new burdensome SNAP work requirements introduced under the Republican tax law last summer.
• Signed a bipartisan discharge petition to require a House vote on the Major Richard Star Act, legislation that would allow combat-injured veterans to receive both their full military retirement pay and VA disability compensation.
• Cosponsored the Rural Veterans Transportation to Care Act to improve rural veterans' ability to access healthcare by expanding eligibility for the VA's Highly Rural Transportation Grant Program and access to cost-free rides.
• Championed the Protecting Veteran Access to Telemedicine Services Act of 2025 to expand telemedicine services for veterans by permanently authorizing VA healthcare professionals to use telemedicine for virtual appointments, including to prescribe drugs.

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