Congresswoman Melanie Stansbury told the Rio Rancho audience that New Mexico had moved to protect residents during federal funding disruptions and that her office was engaged in local assistance.

Stansbury said the state had convened a special session to shore up food assistance and health care and that the steps would "help tens of thousands of New Mexicans who otherwise would have lost healthcare or food assistance under the new rules." She also noted that New Mexico would become the first state to guarantee free childcare for every family starting Oct. 1; she described the change as an example of state-level policy innovation.

On local outreach, Stansbury said her office had been volunteering at the Sandoval County food bank and planned resource fairs, an online telephone town hall and an Albuquerque town hall with the governor's office to bring cabinet secretaries in to brief residents.

Stansbury also praised county-level officials, saying Sandoval County has "one of the best county commissions in the state" and encouraged residents to use county and local contacts when federal services are constrained.

Ending: Stansbury invited residents to join future local listening sessions to help shape policy ideas and to contact her staff for casework and assistance related to the shutdown and benefits disruptions.