Martin's Blog

Dear Friend, Today we honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to our country. We reflect on their courage and bravery. And we stand with their loved ones, holding the heaviness of their grief in our hearts.  For many generations, New Mexicans have answered the call of duty – from Navajo Code Talkers and those in the Bataan Death...

Dear Friend,   If we commit to going “All In” on a stronger foundation for our kids, we can build a New Mexico that they will be proud to call home. That starts with welcoming and healthier school environments, where they can learn important skills, make new friends, and build their confidence.   Last week, I visited the Wildcats Blooms Community...

Dear Friend, Service members, veterans, and their families deserve our utmost respect and gratitude. Military medals are an important way that we honor and recognize the service, accomplishments, and valor of our service members. Unfortunately, the process to receive these medals can be unnecessarily bureaucratic and delayed. I am committed to...

Dear Friend,   The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee just voted to advance three landmark public lands conservation bills that I have been proud to champion alongside local community stakeholders in New Mexico. The M.H. Dutch Salmon Greater Gila Wild and Scenic River Act designates portions of the Gila River, its watershed and other...

Dear Friend, Our firefighters and first responders put their lives on the line to keep us safe. . That’s why I am helping lead the effort to deliver federal funding to them through the Fire Grants and Safety Act. This bipartisan legislation will extend and expand federal programs that help local fire departments address staffing needs, purchase...

Dear Friend, Most Americans agree that members of Congress should not be able to hold and trade individual stocks. But that hasn’t prevented many from doing it. Before the onset of the pandemic, dozens of House and Senate members made over a thousand financial transactions after receiving closed-door briefings. In 2022, members of Congress made...

Dear Friend, These past few years have been difficult for students. But the need for better mental health care services in our schools has existed for decades. Last year, I helped negotiate the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act. A lot of the focus on the law has been on its gun safety measures because it was the first major federal legislation on...

Dear Friend,   It’s too hard for New Mexicans to find a place to live and put down roots in their communities. We need to build more housing.   Yesterday I sat down with local leaders, home builders, and housing advocates in Las Cruces. We talked about the need to build housing for everyone from renters and young families buying their first home to...

Dear Friend, With the 2023 tax filing season underway, I wanted to provide some helpful information and answer some common questions. Filing taxes can be daunting, but I hope these resources will help make the process a little more manageable. Frequently Asked Questions How can I get my return as soon as possible? The IRS recommends filing...

Dear Friend, Protecting America’s fish and wildlife habitat means conserving the creatures we love before they ever become imperiled. Without enough resources, state and Tribal wildlife agencies have been forced to pick and choose which species are worth saving. Instead of doing the proactive work that is necessary to maintain healthy wildlife...

Dear Friend, Yesterday, I joined U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg in New Mexico to highlight infrastructure investments that the Biden-Harris Administration is delivering to our state to improve the safety of our roads, reduce crashes, and save lives. We started out by bringing more attention to a critical area of road safety:...

Dear Friend, Yesterday, I welcomed U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack to New Mexico. At one of our stops, he announced that the U.S. Agriculture Department’s ReConnect Program is delivering $40 million from the Infrastructure Law to support three new projects that will bring high-speed internet access to dozens of rural households, local...

Dear Friend, Thirteen years ago today, President Obama signed the Affordable Care Act (ACA) into law. I will always be proud that one of the first votes I ever took in Congress—and still one of the most meaningful—was to pass the ACA. Since then, I have heard from thousands of New Mexicans about how the ACA has helped them cover critical care for...

Dear Friend, Last fall, Santa Fe resident Evaggelos Klonis contacted my office to see if we could help him with expediting the replacement of his passport. Mr. Klonis had been pursuing a master’s degree abroad and living in Germany with his fiancée, who was expecting their first child. He traveled back to New Mexico to make arrangements for an...

Dear Friend, For more than a decade now, New Mexicans have stood united in defense of the Buffalo Tract. These parcels of federal Bureau of Land Management land are intermixed with residential communities in Sandoval County and are important landscapes for Santa Ana and San Felipe Pueblos. They also serve as a critical wildlife corridor between the...

Dear Friend, A budget is a reflection of our core values and principles. President Biden’s proposal supports the dignity of work, strengthens families, and promotes economic opportunity. His plan protects Medicare and Social Security and expands access to high-quality health care and affordable housing. The president’s budget is also fiscally...

Dear Friend, If you’re a family that has been impacted by the mental health crisis, you know just how hard it can be to navigate available mental health services. This can be especially difficult when it comes to our older loved ones who rely on access through Medicare. But it doesn’t have to be that way. I just introduced bipartisan legislation to...

Dear Friend, While states across the country continue to strip back protections and attack our sacred right to vote, all of us in New Mexico’s Congressional Delegation are united in guaranteeing every single voter can access the ballot. That is why we are urging the New Mexico legislature to pass the New Mexico Voting Rights Act, House Bill 4. This...

Dear Friend, As one of my first actions in the new Congress, I just introduced legislation to rename the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Community-Based Outpatient Clinic in Gallup as the Hiroshi "Hershey" Miyamura VA Clinic in honor of the late Medal of Honor recipient and World War II and Korean War veteran Hiroshi “Hershey” Miyamura,...

Dear Friend, I’m pleased to announce that the United States Senate Appropriations Committee will be accepting Congressionally Directed Spending proposals for Fiscal Year 2024 (FY24). Over the last two years, I’ve been proud to work with communities throughout New Mexico to deliver $403 million in Congressionally Directed Spending to support...