in the news

The day the music dies on public radio stations could be in January, and children’s programming might be out of luck after federal funding cuts. That was the reality coming into view Thursday morning as heads of public radio and television stations gathered around the microphones at KANW. In a role reversal, station managers were interviewed by New...

A bipartisan group of senators is proposing legislation to put more of the Forest Service’s research on wood products into commercial use — and possibly reduce wildfire risks at the same time. Four lawmakers introduced the “Forest Bioeconomy Act,” which would create an office at the Forest Service devoted to connecting the agency’s research arm and...

New Mexico’s U.S. senators have secured nearly $400 million in federal funding for projects spanning from military base construction to rural fire departments, as the Senate passed its first fiscal year 2026 appropriations bills before the August recess. Senators Martin Heinrich and Ben Ray Luján announced a combined total of approximately $395...

Top Democrats on the House and Senate energy, natural resources and agriculture committees introduced bills to halt planned firings at the Interior Department, the Forest Service and the Department of Energy. The bills, introduced Monday, aim to place a moratorium on any reduction in force (RIF) at the agencies while Congress reviews their staffing...

Four Democratic U.S. senators on Friday slammed last month's directive by Interior Secretary Doug Burgum requiring his office to review decisions on every wind and solar power project on federal lands, saying it will lead to delays and discourage private investment as power demand rises.   The lawmakers said the directive creates a bottleneck that...

New Mexico homeowners facing skyrocketing insurance premiums and policy cancellations could benefit from federal legislation aimed at understanding how wildfires drive the insurance crisis affecting one in eight properties in the state. U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., and Sen. Tim Sheehy, R-Mont., introduced the Wildfire Insurance Coverage Study...

New Mexico United States senators introduced federal legislation Friday to expand tree nursery capacity for forest replanting and habitat restoration programs. U.S. Sens.Ben Ray Luján and Martin Heinrich, both Democrats, joined John Cornyn (R-Texas), to sponsor the bill. The legislation, if passed, would allow funding allocated by the 2022...

A bipartisan group of Senate and House lawmakers are doubling down on legislation aimed at spurring artificial intelligence experimentation at financial regulatory agencies, reintroducing a bill that they say aligns with the White House’s new AI Action Plan. The Unleashing AI Innovation in Financial Services Act would direct the Securities and...

The Trump Administration’s decision to reinstate nearly $7 billion in federal education aid comes as welcome news to Albuquerque Public Schools, which faced a potential $12 million hole in its budget. President Donald Trump has released nearly $5.6 billion in congressionally approved federal education funding that was withheld pending review. The...

A Trump administration policy that calls for heavier oversight of federal contract approval has led to staffing shortages at a medical facility in Gallup for Native American patients, leading to drastic cuts in surgical services. The Gallup Indian Medical Center, operated by the federal Indian Health Service, has limited general surgeries to...

New Mexico’s U.S. senators joined the vast majority of their Democratic colleagues Tuesday in pressing the Trump Administration to dramatically expand humanitarian aid to Gaza and resume diplomatic efforts to end the war between Israel and Hamas. Senators Martin Heinrich and Ben Ray Luján signed onto a written letter to Secretary of State Marco...

The U.S. Education Department is beginning to release federal education funding to states, including several grants to New Mexico. In June, the Trump Administration told states that it was withholding previously approved federal grants for “further review” leaving several school districts with no economic support, according to an article by...

New Mexico’s senators are demanding answers about how a $50 billion federal fund will be distributed to rural hospitals, as up to eight facilities in the state could close within 18 months due to sweeping cuts to healthcare programs. Sens. Ben Ray Luján and Martin Heinrich joined 14 other Democrats in a letter to Centers for Medicare & Medicaid...

Over $69 million in federal funding for New Mexico infrastructure, housing assistance for 11,000+ families and tribal programs cleared a key Senate committee hurdle last week, bringing the state closer to receiving critical investments in water systems, housing and economic development. U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich secured over $69 million for New...

Democratic U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich and a Republican colleague are seeking a clearer picture of how wildfires affect homeowners’ access to insurance, as insurers in New Mexico and across the country increasingly cancel or refuse to renew policies. Heinrich of New Mexico and U.S. Sen. Tim Sheehy (R-Montana) introduced the “Wildfire Insurance...

New Mexico’s congressional delegation had words — many— for President Donald Trump’s administration this week. On Wednesday, New Mexico Democratic U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Luján wrote to Trump with detailed concerns about proposed reductions in the 2026 Fiscal Year budget for the Department of Energy, including a 14% reduction to the Office of Science; a...

Democrats are going to make increasing energy prices an issue for Republicans in the next election cycles, Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee ranking member Martin Heinrich said Tuesday. President Donald Trump promised to bring down energy prices during his campaign, but congressional Republicans are threatening to cut incentives for...

WASHINGTON — U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Ranking Member on the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Brooke Rollins on the harmful impacts of the “Department of Government Efficiency’s” (DOGE) actions on the United States Forest Service (USFS). The letter...

New Mexico’s senior senator is calling for a New Mexico-based Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facility to be closed, after his congressional staff observed troubling conditions during a visit in late May. “For years, detainees have been denied adequate access to legal services and medical care while being subjected to inhumane living...

Sporting a Western shirt and jeans, New Mexico’s senior congressional member didn’t mince words as he addressed 150-200 people gathered at the Slide Trailhead on the edge of the Rio Pueblo de Taos Gorge Saturday (June 7). “We could lose this one,” U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich told the crowd, referring to President Donald Trump's so-called "One Big...