Congresswoman Melanie Stansbury told a Rio Rancho town hall audience that the federal government was in its fourth week of a shutdown and that many federal workers and families were already experiencing hardship. "We are unfortunately in this situation where the speaker of the house has now shut down the house for 4 weeks in a row," Stansbury said during opening remarks, and she urged residents to seek help through her office.

Stansbury said the shutdown has produced immediate financial strain for workers paid on different schedules, noting that some biweekly paychecks had lapsed. "A lot of federal workers saw their first paycheck lapse," she said. She warned that certain actions from the White House and agencies were unlawful and would prompt litigation: "Mass firings of federal workers ... is illegal," she said, and described a court injunction already restraining firings in the current shutdown.

The congresswoman addressed a USDA notice she described as instructing states to stop SNAP distributions and said that action was illegal and would be challenged in court, adding that the state of New Mexico was preparing litigation. Stansbury also said the administration had been reallocating funds to pay selected federal employees and that those moves raised legal issues even where she supported paying certain categories (for example, troops and some law enforcement).

Stansbury described the political mechanics that led to the shutdown — including a short-term continuing resolution she said lasted only seven weeks and a House schedule controlled by the speaker — and argued that the decision not to finish appropriations was intentional. "If the Speaker of the House wanted to pass a budget today, he could literally, literally call us back right this minute," she said.

On local response, Stansbury said her office was conducting outreach and resource fairs and coordinating with New Mexico officials. She described volunteering earlier the same day at Sandoval County's food bank and urged residents who needed help to contact her staff: "If you don't get the opportunity to talk to me 1 on 1, please talk to John or Sophia or Cal or Deshay," she said.

Stansbury also warned of other administration actions she said would be subject to legal challenge, including partial pay decisions and attempts to divert benefits. She recommended that affected federal workers contact her office, their unions and national groups involved in litigation, and she said her oversight committee was cataloging possible lawbreaking by the administration.

Ending: Stansbury urged constituents to stay engaged and to use available local resources while litigation and political pressure proceed. She said she would continue oversight work and local outreach as courts and political forces play out at the national level.