During the Fourth of July work period, I was glad to travel through eastern New Mexico and talk with local leaders, farmers and ranchers and small business owners about how I can work with them as a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee to help them boost the economy and create jobs in our rural communities. From Tucumcari to Raton, I heard about the incredible need for affordable housing and community development projects, the serious situations our farmers and ranchers are facing during the drought, how we can better care for our veterans, and most importantly, how we must support our small businesses to create jobs and help our communities thrive.
On Monday, I toured the Dr. Dan C. Trigg Memorial Hospital in Tucumcari and discussed rural health care with hospital administrators, medical providers, and county officials. They serve not only residents of Quay County but also travelers on the busy I-40 and U.S. Highway 54 corridors. I will continue working to support them - for example, by expanding telehealth through the Strengthening Rural Access to Emergency Services Act , which I have introduced to help emergency care physicians reduce health care costs.
After lunch at Del's, a Tucumcari institution, I met with community leaders about agriculture and water issues. It was a good conversation about the need for Congress to finalize a farm bill, which we in the Senate approved this summer , to retroactively reauthorize livestock disaster assistance programs for farmers and ranchers who have had to sell their cattle in the midst of this historic drought.
On Tuesday, we continued the discussion on rural development in Roy. Harding County is the most rural county in New Mexico, and I included language in the recent Senate Agriculture Appropriations bill to direct U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) resources toward these "frontier communities" which often don't have the personnel to compete with larger communities for rural development loans and grants. We were joined by USDA Rural Development State Director Terry Brunner, who has been a great partner in our efforts, and Tuda and Mary of the Harding County Economic & Community Development Corporation, who are always gracious hosts.
After a bite to eat at Anette's Café, followed by a stop for homemade goods at the Gladstone Mercantile , we made our way to Clayton for a meeting with local officials at the Union County Courthouse. Local officials are working hard to attract businesses through a new industrial park, and we discussed ways to achieve this through infrastructure projects like the town's wastewater treatment project.
After a good night's sleep at the Hotel Eklund , we drove on the new-and-improved Ports-to-Plains Trade Corridor to Raton. There I hosted a roundtable discussion with GrowRaton!, the City of Raton, and other officials on economic development, water sustainability, veterans and housing issues. Prior to the meeting, I visited Main Street businesses Solano's Boot & Western Wear and Sports Arena. Both the Solano and Rubin families have been pillars of the Raton community for decades, and I was glad to spend some time talking about how I can use my position in the Senate to help them address challenges facing our small businesses.
No trip to Raton is complete without stopping at Pappas' Sweet Shop Restaurant , which is still going strong after 90 years in business. After lunch, we drove down I-25 to tour the Cimarron Solar Facility - one of the largest solar plants in New Mexico that is providing power to about 9,000 local homes per year. I'm glad to see it is expanding, creating jobs and providing home-grown energy to meet our energy needs right there in Colfax County.
I want to thank everyone for their generous hospitality, and I look forward to continuing to partner with them as I keep working for New Mexico priorities in the U.S. Senate.
