in the news

A study commissioned by the Rail Passengers Association says that local economies along the route of the Amtrak’s Southwest Chief passenger train between Albuquerque and Dodge City, Kan., would be derailed by as much as $116.4 million annually if Amtrak were to substitute rail service between the two cities with charter buses. Direct spending...

On Monday, federal employees will return to work.  For now. After more than 30 days, the partial federal shutdown ended Friday. During that time, almost 11,000 New Mexicans—and 800,000 people nationwide—were either furloughed or working without pay. But many people remain wary, given that the deal worked out between Congress...

The government is open and many were out enjoying some of New Mexico's open spaces. The Petroglyph National Monument was just one of several parks partially closed during the shutdown, which caused some problems that had to be cleaned up. "Three weeks is better than nothing, so I hope that it works," said Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller. The shutdown...

Thursday, U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) voted for a clean spending bill to reopen the government immediately.  The measure, which received bipartisan support, would reopen currently closed agencies and fund the federal government through Feb. 8. The proposal failed to reach the 60-vote threshold to advance in the Senate.   “New...

Today, U.S. Senator Tom Udall (D-N.M.), vice chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs and ranking member of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies, along with U.S. Senators Jon Tester (D-Mont.), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Martin Heinrich...

Today, as federal workers miss their second paycheck, U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) released a Shutdown Resource Guide to help those who have been impacted by President Trump's shutdown. “I've heard from far too many New Mexicans who cannot afford to wait any longer for President Trump's reckless shutdown to end," said...

SANTA FE (AP) — U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich wants the federal government to turn Bandelier National Monument into a full-fledged national park. New Mexico's junior senator told state lawmakers Friday that he plans to introduce legislation this year what would provide national park status to the wilderness area and archaeological preserve near...

SANTA FE – U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich called on state lawmakers Friday to pass legislation dealing with renewable energy, climate change and early childhood education during their ongoing 60-day legislation. In a 20-minute speech, Heinrich, a Democrat, said the session represents a “once-in-a-generation opportunity,” due largely to...

Senate Democrats introduced a bill Tuesday to ensure information given to the government by Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) beneficiaries isn't used for immigration enforcement. New Mexico Sen. Martin Heinrich (D) led the bill, dubbed the Dreamer Confidentiality act. “Nearly a million Dreamers across the...

New Mexico families are paying the price for the longest government shutdown in American history because President Trump refuses to stop holding our federal workers, our economy and basic government services hostage to his political gamesmanship. Congress has taken the votes to pass a bipartisan solution to reopen the government immediately. In...

SANTA FE, N.M. (KRQE) - Many federal employees affected by the shutdown are likely concerned that they will not be able to pay their largest bills, mortgages, car loans and even student loans. Now, one of New Mexico's US Senators says he's working on legislation to protect them, while they wait for the government to reopen. Roughly 6,000 federal...

Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., hosted a press call Dec. 13 to discuss the importance of reauthorizing the Violence Against Women Act. VAWA was enacted in 1994 under then-President Bill Clinton to fund prosecution of violent crimes against women, impose automatic, mandatory restitution on those convicted and allow civil redress in un-prosecuted...

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Lawmakers in Washington have until Friday to figure out how to fund the Federal Government. A government shutdown could end up hurting New Mexico in more ways than one. Around 20,000 New Mexicans who work for the Federal Government are watching D.C. very closely. A shutdown would have detrimental effects on...

The opioid epidemic is one of the greatest and gravest public health crises our nation has ever faced. It has taken a heartbreaking toll on families all across New Mexico. For years, without adequate treatment resources, communities in our state have suffered through some of the highest rates of opioid and heroin dependence and overdose deaths in...

I grew up helping my parents run a small cattle operation, which is where I learned to truly value the hard work farmers and ranchers do each and every day to produce the food we eat. Our farmers help drive New Mexico’s economy, especially in rural communities. According to the New Mexico Department of Agriculture, our food producers grow...

Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) on Sunday called for the U.S. to ban oil imports from Saudi Arabia over the death of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Heinrich, who is running for reelection, released a statement days after the Saudi government acknowledged that Khashoggi died inside its consulate in Istanbul. "The United States cannot...

Beyond not paying for themselves, President Donald Trump's tax cuts now threaten to undermine one of his key campaign promises. A new report by the Democrats on the Joint Economic Committee in Congress reveals that by reducing the tax liability incurred by corporations, even when they move operations and jobs overseas, Trump's...

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Water projects in New Mexico would get a boost as part of a massive bill passed by Congress that seeks to improve the nation’s dams and protect against floods and drought. The bill, if signed by President Donald Trump, would authorize more than $6 billion in spending over 10 years for projects nationwide. It also...

FARMINGTON — Federal legislation aimed at protecting and assisting Native Americans in voting has been introduced by several Democrats in the U.S. Senate. More than a dozen senators, including Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich, both of New Mexico, introduced the Native American Voting Rights Act of 2018 to provide resources and...

Several Democratic Senators and Representatives have introduced legislation to extend the US federal tax credit for zero-emissions vehicles (ZEVs) by 10 years. The extension is wrapped in the Electric Cars Act of 2018. Senators co-sponsoring the bill include Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Kamala Harris...