We are all in this together

Dear Friend,

This has been one of the most unsettling times any of us will ever experience. I wanted to check in and update you on my ongoing efforts to secure critical medical resources and immediate economic relief for New Mexicans whose lives have been upended by the coronavirus pandemic.

I am tremendously proud of Governor Lujan Grisham and her administration for enacting proactive measures in our state. I urge New Mexicans to continue following their lifesaving public health guidance.

I am grateful to all of the health care workers and many others who are on the frontlines of keeping our families safe and healthy during such a trying time. I have been working to secure the resources and equipment they need for an effective and robust COVID-19 response. That started with the first $8 billion emergency funding package Congress passed earlier this month that delivered $6 million directly to those working on New Mexico's public health response.

I'm in direct contact with Vice President Mike Pence, FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn, and Ambassador Debbie Birx to increase testing capacity in New Mexico to identify cases and help slow the spread of COVID-19. I'm also urging the Trump administration to do everything possible to put the researchers and scientists at New Mexico's national laboratories to work on engineering lifesaving solutions. Our national labs have played a leading role in discovering solutions to past public health crises, and they can no doubt be central to addressing this pandemic.

My office is on the ground working around the clock with local, tribal, and state officials. We are deeply aware of how much this public health crisis has upended small business owners, workers, and schools all across our state. I helped secure disaster declarations for New Mexico from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). That means that SBA can now offer low-interest federal disaster loans for working capital to small businesses suffering substantial economic injury as a result of the coronavirus.

My office is also working to help New Mexicans stuck abroad - connecting them to their nearest U.S. embassy and holding the U.S. State Department accountable to make sure we bring New Mexicans home. If you or a family member needs assistance, I encourage you to contact my office right away.

I voted last week to pass the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, which included both nutritional assistance and immediate economic relief measures. The bill will also provide an estimated $250 million increase in federal Medicaid funding for New Mexico. But we can't stop there. Republicans must work in good faith with Democrats to pass a larger stimulus bill that puts the interests of small businesses, non-profits, workers, and their families first.

I have no doubt that big industries and corporations like the airlines and cruise lines will have plenty of help getting back on their feet. I am fighting to ensure that Washington doesn't leave behind the New Mexico families who don't have high-paid lobbyists. I am also making sure we don't forget about our tribal nations or our rural communities, who will be disproportionately impacted. We need to have the backs of the food service and hospitality workers who rely on New Mexico's tourism industry, and all of the small business owners and workers whose jobs and lives have been thrown into total disarray.

I also want to make sure that in a larger economic stimulus, we are investing in the greatest long-term good for our economy. We have lessons that we learned from the response to the financial crisis a decade ago. We should make sure we get the economic measures right so families in New Mexico who need help actually get it.

I truly believe that this is the challenge that our generation will be measured against. I am confident that we will get through this, but only if we can keep doing the right thing for our friends, our families, and our neighbors. I can assure you I am doing everything in my power to protect our health during this unprecedented crisis and I will never stop fighting for our communities.

Please continue to stay informed about what you can do to keep yourself and your family healthy, and contact my office if I can be of assistance.

Be well and stay healthy.

Sincerely,

MARTIN HEINRICH