Vice Presidential Pool Reports of October 25, 2022

VP travel pool report 1/wheels down

The Vice President touched down on Air Force Two at Kirtland Air Force Base in Albuquerque at 12:04 p.m. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller, U.S. Rep. Melanie Stansbury, D-N.M., and U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Lujan, D-N.M., were waiting to greet the Vice President on the tarmac.

VP travel pool report #2/fundraiser

The Vice President arrived at 12:48 p.m. for a fundraiser at a private residence in Albuquerque's Northeast Heights, after the motorcade carrying her shut down parts of Interstate 25. The fundraiser was on behalf of Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, who is locked in a tough reelection battle against Republican Mark Ronchetti.

On Background from a White House Official

Today, October 25 at 2:30 PM MT, the Vice President will join Governor Grisham (D-NM) and Dr. Eve Espey, MD, MPH, for a moderated conversation on protecting reproductive rights. This conversation at The University of New Mexico will be open to pre-credentialed media and live-streamed on whitehouse.gov/live.

The Vice President has brought together leaders from across the nation who are on the frontlines fighting to protect reproductive health care and abortion access. This month, the Vice President has traveled to Connecticut, Texas, California, and Minnesota to participate in conversations with reproductive rights leaders, she chaired the Second Meeting of the Interagency Task Force on Reproductive Healthcare Access, and she convened student leaders at the White House.

Since May, she has held more than 20 convenings and met with 180+ state legislators from 18 states to discuss protecting reproductive rights. The Vice President has also convened health care providers, constitutional law experts, faith leaders, state attorneys general, disability rights leaders, higher education leaders, students, and advocates.

Pre-program participants:

- Garnett Stokes, President, University of New Mexico

- Sima Ladjevardin, Regional Director, U.S. Department of Human Health & Services

- Rachel Pryor, Counselor for Health Policy, U.S. Department of Health & Human Services

- Mayor Tim Keller (D-Albuquerque, NM)

- Congresswoman Melanie Stansbury (D-NM-01)

- U.S. Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-NM)

VP travel pool report #3/remarks

The Vice President spoke for about 20 minutes at a private fundraiser attended by about 100 people, including New Mexico legislators and prominent lobbyists.

During her remarks, Harris said there was much at stake in this year's election cycle.

"The work we're doing will not be real if it doesn't hit the streets … and your governor is a key ingredient in making that happen," the vice president said.

She also said Lujan Grisham had been a key voice in Biden administration efforts to lower health care costs and expand a child tax credit.

Harris also talked about abortion, drawing loud applause when she said: "One does not have to abandon their faith or their deeply-held beliefs to agree the government should not be making that decision for you."

VP travel pool report #4/event

The vice president took part in a moderated discussion about abortion and reproductive rights at Keller Hall on the University of New Mexico campus.

About 300 people attended the event, including college students, Democratic lawmakers and members of New Mexico's congressional delegation.

During the 40-minute discussion, Harris touted New Mexico as a regional sanctuary amid other states like Texas that have enacted abortion bans.

At one point, she held up a map of the United States to show the checkerboard of state-by-state abortion laws.

"This is about freedom and liberty — fundamental principles on which are country was founded that are under attack right now," Harris said.

The other participants in the discussion were Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and Eve Espey, the chairwoman of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at UNM.

VP travel pool report #5/wheels up

The vice president boarded Air Force Two at Kirtland Air Force base in Albuquerque and waved goodbye at 4:15 p.m. The plane departed shortly thereafter.