ALBUQUERQUE JOURNAL • December 19, 2025
Former New Mexico congresswoman Yvette Herrell's nomination to a Trump administration post was confirmed this week by the U.S. Senate, despite both of her home state senators casting "no" votes. Herrell was appointed by the president in June to be an assistant secretary in the U.S. Department of Agriculture, overseeing the U.S. Forest Service and other departments. Her nomination was bundled with about 100 other nominees for a final confirmation vote. On a party-line vote, the U.S. Senate voted 53-43 late Thursday to confirm the nominees. New Mexico's two U.S. senators joined other Senate Democrats in voting against the nomination package to hold the Trump administration accountable for breaking the law. Herrell, a former Republican state legislator, served a single term in the U.S. House after winning election in 2020. However, she was ousted from Congress by Democrat Gabe Vasquez in 2022, and lost again in a tight rematch in the 2024.