The beginning of the end of the pandemic

I am grateful to all of the New Mexico health care heroes and other essential workers who have stepped up to help our communities weather the challenges of this past year. I am increasingly optimistic that with the widespread distribution of vaccines--and particularly with our strong rollout in New Mexico--we are finally nearing the end of this pandemic.

As part of the American Rescue Plan that Democrats in Congress and President Biden recently passed into law, there was $20 billion to supercharge our nationwide vaccine distribution campaign—including dedicated funding for the VA Health Administration and the Indian Health Service that I secured to make sure vaccines make it to our veterans and hard-to-reach Tribal communities. We also passed $50 billion in new funding for testing, genomic sequencing to stay ahead of the curve on new variants of the virus, and contact tracing efforts so we can finally put an end to this pandemic.

There will soon be $1.2 billion in emergency funding support heading to New Mexico’s K-12 public schools to help our educators address students’ needs and make sure all of our schools can safely reopen for fulltime in-person instruction. I also fought to secure a $350 billion program that will soon deliver aid to state, local, and Tribal governments to help them cover the emergency expenses of the pandemic and protect the jobs of teachers, firefighters, and first responders.

I also fought to pass additional support for small business owners in the American Rescue Plan, including more support for the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and a new $28.6 billion Restaurant Revitalization Fund that is specifically targeted toward small, locally-owned restaurants, food trucks, and bars that are the cornerstones in our communities to help them keep their doors open.

The American Rescue Plan also included critical financial support for families and workers like the $1,400 direct payments, expanded support for food assistance programs, and a historic expansion of the Earned Income Tax Credit to allow workers to keep more of their paycheck and the Child Tax Credit to help parents and families cover the costs of raising a child.

Now that we have passed emergency resources to address the immediate emergency brought on by the pandemic, we need to invest in our nation’s infrastructure and human capital to set the foundation for a strong and sustainable long-term economic recovery. Too many families in New Mexico are living without internet access, clean water, and reliable electricity. President Biden’s American Jobs Plan is our opportunity to change that.

I am committed to passing legislation in the Senate that will make bold and forward-looking investments in transportation and water systems, in our land ports of entry like Santa Teresa and Columbus to grow our trade economy, and in the clean energy infrastructure that will help us confront the climate crisis and power our economic success in the decades ahead.

President Biden’s American Families Plan offers us another once-in-a-generation chance to expand our children’s opportunities by providing each and every one of them with a high-quality education from early childhood all the way through to college and a good-paying career. It will also take a two-generation approach to deliver economic security to families by providing much-needed support for child care, making health care more affordable, and establishing a comprehensive, national paid leave policy.

We’ve learned the hard way over the years that if you don’t make these kinds of investments in people and families, that the negative impacts of an extreme event like COVID or a financial crisis linger in the economy. We need to make the right decision this time around to not take an austerity mindset so that we can get the economy going in a way that delivers opportunities for success to all New Mexicans.  I will never stop fighting to make sure New Mexico gets the resources it needs to build an economy that grows even stronger and is more diverse than before the pandemic.

I also want to help provide the resources New Mexicans need to get back on their feet after all we have been through during this past year. My office is here to help you navigate any challenges or identify new opportunities. You can reach my Las Cruces Office by calling (575) 535-6561 or by visiting my website at Heinrich.Senate.Gov. Please don’t hesitate to contact us if we can be of any assistance to you and your family.