press releases

ALBUQUERQUE (KRQE) - A long-stalled New Mexico energy project has finally gotten the green light from the feds. It’s a power transmission line backers believe will bring thousands of jobs to the state. The Obama administration is calling the $2 billion transmission line a win for the state’s economy and the...

U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich with U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell, and U.S. Congressman Ben Ray Luján.  ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - Today, U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) joined U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell, U.S. Assistant Secretary of the Army for Installations, Energy and Environment Katherine Hammack,...

U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich meets with Defense Secretary Nominee, Dr. Ash Carter, January 22, 2015. WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, released the following statement after meeting with Defense Secretary nominee, Dr. Ashton Carter: "We need strong leadership to address...

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), a member of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, delivered a speech on the Senate floor today in opposition to legislation to approve the Keystone XL Pipeline.  "I would argue that the sooner we commit ourselves to a clean energy, job-incentive future, the sooner we...

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Sens. Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich and U.S. Reps. Ben Ray Luján and Michelle Lujan Grisham announced the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has approved $15.6 million conditional funding for the New Mexico State Veterans' Home in Truth or Consequences to construct a new 59 bed facility. The construction...

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) is cosponsoring the Women's Health Protection Act, a bill to make it illegal for states to chip away at women's reproductive rights. The legislation would protect a woman's right and ability to determine whether and when to bear a child by limiting restrictions on the provision of abortion...

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), a member of the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, issued the following statement in response to efforts to cover up the facts of the committee's report on the CIA detention and interrogation program: "It would be unprecedented and misguided for the Executive Branch to relinquish...

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), released the following statement tonight after President Obama's State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress: "Tonight, the president laid out a clear vision to increase opportunities for all Americans and strengthen our middle class. While our nation's economy is progressing,...

WASHINGTON D.C. – U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) released the following statement in recognition of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, which is celebrated on Monday, January 19, 2015: “On Martin Luther King Day, communities across New Mexico come together to honor Dr. King’s profound lessons of justice and equality. He gave a...

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) released the following statement today after President Obama announced a plan to expand paid sick and family leave for working families. In New Mexico, there are an estimated 270,000 workers currently without paid sick leave. "The fact that we are the only developed country in the world that...

ROSWELL, N.M. - In an ongoing effort to provide top-notch constituent service, U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich's (D-N.M.) staff will hold Mobile Office Hours in Hobbs on Friday, January 16, 2015. Staff will be on hand to assist residents who have questions regarding Social Security benefits, Medicare, immigration, veterans benefits, student loans, and...

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), a member of the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, issued the following statement today after the CIA released redacted versions of a CIA inspector general report and a CIA Accountability Review Board report related to the CIA improperly searching computers used by Senate Select...

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) voted against advancing legislation to approve the Keystone XL Pipeline during a markup in the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Senator Heinrich, who is also a member of the Climate Action Task Force, is a lead proponent of reversing the effects of climate change and...

WASHINGTON, DC (Jan. 8, 2015) - U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) cosponsored S. 29, the Respect for Marriage Act, a bill to ensure all legally-married, same-sex couples are treated equally under federal law. The bill seeks to fully implement the Supreme Court’s decision striking down the discriminatory Defense of Marriage...

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) is cosponsoring net neutrality legislation that would help prevent the creation of a two-tiered Internet system by requiring the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to ban so-called "paid prioritization" agreements between a broadband provider and a content provider.  Introduction of...

WASHINGTON, DC  - Today, U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) joined U.S. Senator John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) to introduce the LNG Permitting Certainty and Transparency Act. The bipartisan legislation will speed up the approval process for exports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to countries that do not have free trade agreements with the United...

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Jan. 5, 2015) — U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), a member of the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, is supporting a series of reforms to prevent the future use of torture. The recommendations, which were derived from the committee’s five-year review of the CIA’s detention and interrogation...

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senators Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich announced that the president has signed legislation providing $324 million for recovery and operations at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) in Carlsbad, N.M. Earlier this year, Udall, a member of the Appropriations Committee, and Heinrich had requested the funding to...

One of New Mexico’s magnificent pieces of public real estate is a winner in legislation President Obama is expected to sign. By extension, New Mexicans are winners, too, gaining more access to the breathtaking Valles Caldera for recreation and economic benefits from increased tourism. Since 2002, the 89,000-acre preserve located inside a...

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senators Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich announced that the president has signed legislation that fully funds the Payment in Lieu of Taxes program (PILT) for 2015. New Mexico counties rely on PILT to provide services, including schools, roads, and public safety. Udall, a member of the Appropriations Committee, and...