press releases

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) - Senators Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich are pushing to have two northern New Mexico sites designated as public wilderness areas. "The Rio San Antonio sits 200 feet below a plateau and creates a unique riparian area and amazing recreational opportunities that boost the local economy," said Sen. Udall.  Senator Udall...

WASHINGTON, D.C. -  Today, U.S. Senators Rob Portman (R-OH) and Martin Heinrich (D-NM) applauded the appointment of a Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism, a position at the U.S. Department of State. The senators sent President Trump a letter in May 2018 emphasizing the importance of filling the position to ensure...

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Feb. 5, 2019) - U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) released the following statement tonight after President Trump delivered his State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress. Senator Heinrich's special guest this evening was former Acoma Pueblo Governor Kurt Riley.  “Unity isn’t a once-a-year...

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Feb. 5, 2019) – U.S. Senators Tom Udall (D-N.M.) and Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) are urging Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Acting Administrator Andrew Wheeler to develop federal drinking water standards for perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) as part of the agency’s national...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich and U.S. Representative Ben Ray Luján announced that the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has awarded $2,496,842 in federal funding to the Rio Metro Regional Transit District (RTD) to make critical improvements to the New Mexico Rail Runner Express...

FARMINGTON — Tribal leaders from the Southwest will be among the guests selected by congressional members to attend the State of the Union address tonight. Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez will attend as Sen. Tom Udall's guest, Vice President Myron Lizer is the guest for Rep. Tom O'Halleran, D-Ariz., and Sen. Martin Heinrich...

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senators Tom Udall (D-N.M.) and Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), along with U.S. Senators Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Cory Booker...

Senate Democrats introduced legislation on Monday to prevent President Trump from using military and disaster relief funds to construct the U.S.-Mexico border wall should he declare a national emergency. The legislation would prevent Trump from using funding from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers civil works funds and...

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Feb. 4, 2019) – Today, U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) announced that Rebecca L. Avitia will serve as his State Director. A native New Mexican, Avitia has spent her career in service to her community, most recently as Executive Director of the National Hispanic Cultural Center in Albuquerque. “Throughout her...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich and U.S. Representative Ben Ray Luján announced that the U.S. Department of Labor has awarded $2,090,258 in funding to two YouthBuild programs in northern New Mexico — $990,258 to HELP New Mexico, Inc. in Albuquerque and $1,100,000...

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Feb. 1, 2019) - Today, U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) announced that former Pueblo of Acoma Governor Kurt Riley will be his special guest at President Trump’s State of the Union Address on Tuesday, February 5, 2019. During the recent government shutdown, the lapse in funding hampered critical public safety, child...

Washington, D.C. (Jan. 31, 2019) – Today, U.S. Senators Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich reintroduced the Paycheck Fairness Act, legislation that would strengthen the Equal Pay Act of 1963 by guaranteeing that women can challenge pay discrimination and hold employers accountable. The bill introduction...

WASHINGTON—U.S. Senators John Cornyn (R-TX) and Martin Heinrich (D-NM) today introduced the Pipeline and LNG Facility Cybersecurity Preparedness Act. This legislation would direct the Secretary of Energy to implement a program that helps ensure the physical security and cybersecurity of our oil and natural gas...

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Tom Udall (D-N.M.), vice chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, along with U.S. Senators Martin Heinrich (D-N.M), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), and Tina Smith (D-Minn.) introduced the Native...

A bill filed in the U.S. Senate will benefit Native American entrepreneurs.  U.S. Senators Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich are sponsoring the Native American Business Incubators Program Act. The act lays out a plan to expand entrepreneurship in Indian Country through a competitive grant program.  Sen. Udall says Native businesses...

Two United States senators from New Mexico joined 10 others to introduce Savanna’s Act, legislation to combat the epidemic of murdered and missing Indigenous women by improving the federal government's response to the crisis. The bipartisan bill would increase coordination among all levels of law enforcement, increases data...

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Jan. 30, 2019) – On the 30th anniversary of the North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA), U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), a member of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources and a member of the Migratory Bird Conservation Commission, U.S. Senators John Kennedy (R-La.), Bill Cassidy (R-La.), Tom...

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Tom Udall (D-N.M.), vice chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, and Assistant Speaker Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), along with U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and U.S. Representatives Deb Haaland (D-N.M.) and Xochitl Torres Small...

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Jan. 30, 2019) – Today, U.S. Senators Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), and Tom Udall (D-N.M.) introduced the Full Fair and Complete Exchange Act, legislation that would prohibit the federal government from taking possession of land for border infrastructure until all persons or...

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Jan. 29, 2019) – U.S. Senators Tom Udall (D-N.M.) and Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) joined U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), and eight others to introduce Savanna’s Act, legislation to combat the epidemic of murdered and missing Indigenous women (MMIW) by improving the...