When far-left Democrat U.S. Rep. Gabe Vasquez had one of his clearest opportunities to stand up for New Mexico’s long-suffering Downwinders, he didn’t.
Instead, Vasquez joined his fellow Democrats and voted against the final H.R. 1 package that contained the historic expansion of the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA) — the very expansion he is now celebrating and attempting to build his political brand around.
Now, more than a year later, Vasquez is back on offense with a shiny new press release portraying himself as a relentless champion for Downwinders.
The problem is his voting record.
On Monday, Vasquez announced his support for the Radiation Exposure Compensation Reauthorization Act of 2026, boasting that he stands with the Tularosa Basin Downwinders and declaring that Washington must take responsibility for the damage caused by the 1945 Trinity nuclear test.
“I stand with the Tularosa Basin Downwinders Consortium and all those that refuse to let the world forget what happened at the Trinity Site,” Vasquez said.
His office even bragged that the 2025 expansion of RECA to New Mexicans was a “huge win” and claimed Vasquez has “long worked closely with the Downwinder community.”
What the press release conveniently leaves out is that when Congress actually voted on the legislation delivering that huge win, Vasquez voted no.
On July 3, 2025, the House considered final passage of the Senate-amended H.R. 1. Buried inside the massive package was something New Mexico families had fought decades to achieve: an expansion of RECA covering victims of the Trinity Test and other Americans harmed by radiation exposure.
Vasquez had a choice.
He could break with the partisan opposition to the broader package and vote for legislation containing the long-awaited relief New Mexico Downwinders had begged Washington to provide for generations.
He chose not to.
Vasquez voted NO.
The measure passed anyway, 218-214, and the RECA expansion became law without his support.
Whatever objections Vasquez had to other provisions of the sweeping reconciliation package, the practical reality is unavoidable: the legislation that finally delivered RECA coverage to New Mexico reached the House floor, and Gabe Vasquez voted against it.
He also voted against the procedural measure that allowed the Senate-amended H.R. 1 — with the RECA expansion included — to come before the House for a final vote.
Now Vasquez wants voters to forget that moment and focus instead on his latest press conference-ready push for additional benefits.
The hypocrisy does not stop there.
Vasquez is also attempting to portray himself as a stalwart supporter of New Mexico’s military community by touting his December 2025 vote for the final Fiscal Year 2026 National Defense Authorization Act.
His congressional office celebrated the vote as delivering “major wins for New Mexico,” highlighting military infrastructure, a servicemember pay raise and provisions Vasquez helped insert into the bill.
But again, there are inconvenient votes missing from the press release.
Vasquez voted against the Fiscal Year 2025 NDAA in June 2024.
Then, in September 2025, he voted against the House version of the Fiscal Year 2026 NDAA before later supporting the negotiated final version in December.
That is a far different record from the uncomplicated pro-defense image Vasquez is now trying to sell.
The Downwinder issue is particularly glaring because these families waited approximately eight decades for recognition.
New Mexicans living near the Trinity Site endured cancer, illness, death and generations of unanswered questions while the federal government excluded them from compensation available to other radiation-exposed communities.
When Congress finally put legislation containing their long-awaited relief on Vasquez’s desk for an up-or-down vote, he did not stand with them.
He stood with the partisan opposition to H.R. 1.
Now that the expansion is safely law despite his vote, Vasquez is attempting to wrap himself in the cause and take credit as one of its loudest champions.
New Mexico Downwinders deserved courage when their compensation was actually on the line — not political rehabilitation after someone else supplied the votes necessary to get it done.
The Sheeple elect the Shepherd they deserve.
It’s not just Downwinders and the Military; he votes against law enforcement at every opportunity while claiming he supports them.
Vasquez is always downwind. Always on the wrong side.