Alamogordo Daily News: Heinrich: Shutdown hitting NM hard

Sen. Martin Heinrich, in a speech delivered on the Senate floor Tuesday, said the government shutdown is hitting New Mexico particularly hard because nearly one-third of its gross domestic product has come from federal dollars.

The federal government has been partially shutdown because of an impasse in the House of Representatives over funding of the Affordable Healthcare Act and the debt ceiling.

"New Mexico serves the nation in many ways, through our national labs, our military bases, with federal lands and monuments that host Americans from every corner of our nation," Heinrich said.

He said that in 2010, nearly 36 percent of New Mexico's gross domestic product came from federal money.

"This figure includes veterans benefits, Social Security and student financial aid," Heinrich said. "Federal dollars go toward grants to help fund state and local health care, transportation, education and housing programs."

Heinrich said the government shutdown has been "irresponsible, reckless and devastating to our economy."

He said in New Mexico, federal contracts are also critical for the small business community. Defense purchases account for almost two-thirds of total procurement spending.

"We are home to nearly 27,000 federal workers, workers who want to go back to work, workers who just want to do their jobs," he said. "Sandia National Laboratories and Los Alamos National Laboratory employ an additional 18,000 New Mexicans as contractors."

Heinrich added that the U.S. Department of Energy's Waste Isolation Pilot Plant in Carlsbad, employs 1,000 more workers.

"So it's an understatement to say that shutting down the federal government strikes at the heart of my state's economy," he said. "Between sequestration furloughs, the shutdown and the current impasse over averting a catastrophic default on the nation's debt, hard-working, middle-class families across New Mexico are saddled with uncertainty and hardship."