On October 28, 2022, New Mexico Leaders addressed the 3^rd Annual National Latino Farmers and Ranchers (NLFR) Congreso in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Participating in the NLFR panel were State Senator Bill Tallman, State Representative Joy Garratt, Immediate Past State Director, League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) Dennis Montoya, and NIB Senior Economist Alphecca Muttardy, who addressed the conference via Zoom. Conference organizer Antoinette Lucero moderated.

Panelists addressed the immediate infrastructure problems facing New Mexico especially the shortage of water. From that standpoint, they all spoke of why they are promoting “The National Infrastructure Bank Act”, HR3339, as the solution to their infrastructure needs. 

The first speaker, Senator Bill Tallman, began by putting the national infrastructure crisis in the proper context “The United States looks like a third-world country because we haven’t invested a sufficient amount in infrastructure.” He addressed the shortfall of funding from the latest Bi-Partisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), saying that it is “too small to cover all of the needs of New Mexico,” and, regarding water, he said It covers 1/6 of what we need.” Tallman spoke of the growing support in the country for the NIB, and that he is the key sponsor of a Senate Resolution. 

The next speaker was Representative Joy Garratt, who began by praising the NLFR, the sponsor of the event. Garratt emphasized the need for a “comprehensive and innovative long term vision,” and why she introduced a House resolution in support of the NIB. She spoke of the urgent need for water, by detailing all of the state’s water needs. She said, “Water is life,” which takes massive funding. Garratt said that she is the granddaughter of farmers, who had to leave NM due to a shortage of water, and she wants to ensure that the same thing does not happen to the younger generation there today. 

Dennis Montoya, who followed Garratt, said that he believes that the NIB would “represent and benefit our constituency group.” He said that we are in a 1200-year drought and that the local water sources in his area are “barely enough water to irrigate.” He referred to the resolution that NM LULAC passed in support of the NIB, and that he worked with members of Congress in New Mexico, of which two out of three are co-sponsors to HR3339. Montoya proudly said that his father benefited by FDR’s NEW Deal, which used a similar bank, when he worked in the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), and was paid high wages.

The final speaker was NIB economist Alphecca Muttardy who laid out the mechanics of the bank, and compared it to the BIL. In particular, she spoke about how the NIB would solve “regional problems and solutions,” especially for farmers, and that the NIB would provide adequate funding for both drinking water, sewage treatment and large-scale water projects. Muttardy assured the participants that the NIB would supercharge the economy, by creating 25 million new high-paying jobs, and would bring investments to low-income, disadvantaged communities and tribal areas, without creating any new federal debt or taxes.

Watch this critical video and learn how the NIB will solve our critical infrastructure needs.