press releases

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...

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Jan. 29, 2019) - Today, U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) questioned top intelligence officials during a Senate Select Committee on Intelligence open hearing on Worldwide Threats. The committee received testimony from Director of National Intelligence Daniel Coats, FBI Director Christopher Wray, CIA Director Gina Haspel,...

WASHINGTON (KRQE) - U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich wants to turn Bandelier National Monument into a National Park.  Sen. Heinrich plans on introducing a new proposal that would make it happen.  The designation carries more prestige, which in turn brings more tourists, jobs and revenue.  He's also working on granting the National Parks...

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...

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – This weekend, U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) will visit with federal workers and tribal communities impacted by the recent government shutdown.  On Saturday at 10 a.m., Heinrich will join U.S. Representative Deb Haaland at First Nation Community HealthSource to discuss the impact of the...

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...