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- By Native News Online Staff
Native Vote. As President Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress push for more tax breaks for billionaires—while working families in New Mexico foot the bill—Deb Haaland (Laguna Pueblo), candidate for New Mexico governor and former U.S. secretary of the Interior, is sounding the alarm. In a video shared across her social media platforms, Haaland spoke directly to voters, highlighting the serious damage these policies would inflict on New Mexico’s growing clean energy economy.
In the video Haaland states, “When I served as Interior Secretary, one of the key things I focused on was creating jobs in clean energy and lowering energy costs in New Mexico - harnessing the wind and sun to generate energy and create economic opportunity. These local industries were actually doing that, bringing jobs and generating electricity, and now Trump is trying to stop those efforts. It’ll make electricity more expensive and kill even more New Mexico jobs.”
The extreme Republican tax plan slashes key provisions of the Inflation Reduction Act and gutting investments that drive job creation, lower energy costs, and support local businesses in New Mexico. The state currently has $9.9 billion in low-carbon energy projects in the pipeline—many of which are already underway thanks to Inflation Reduction Act funding. These projects showcase how federal investment can spark innovation and economic growth in New Mexico, making clear just how much damage Trump and congressional Republicans could cause by reversing course.
Secretary Deb Haaland has a strong record of advancing new industries to diversify New Mexico’s economy. As Secretary of the Interior, she moved forward with permitting for the SunZia Transmission Project—a major infrastructure effort that supported union labor through a project labor agreement between the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) and the project’s developer. The IBEW estimated the initiative would generate 500 construction jobs and 150 permanent positions.
During her time in the U.S. House of Representatives, Haaland celebrated the groundbreaking of the La Joya Wind Farm in Torrance County, advanced energy efficiency through the National Defense Authorization Act, and led the THRIVE Agenda. This bold initiative aimed to create high-quality union jobs in a clean energy economy while ensuring environmental justice for communities long burdened by pollution and corporate neglect.
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