Heinrich Lauds Approval For Sandia National Laboratories To Begin COVID-19 Testing

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), a member of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, is lauding the announcement that Sandia National Laboratories has been granted approval by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to begin public testing for the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19). The approval will expand New Mexico’s testing capabilities and will allow for hundreds of additional tests to be processed in coordination with the New Mexico Department of Health and DOE.

“I thank Sandia and its staff for their tireless work to assist in New Mexico’s coronavirus response efforts. Expanding our capacity for testing is absolutely essential to an effective public health response and the eventual reopening of our economy," said Heinrich. "I have been working around the clock to ensure that New Mexican’s receive the health care they need during this pandemic, and that has included working to get health care systems and providers the necessary resources to assess the public’s health. This approval for Sandia National Labs is a critical step forward in ramping up testing capabilities in our state. It will greatly expand New Mexico's ability to process test results on a daily basis. I will continue holding the Trump administration accountable to keep increasing the widespread availability of testing and monitoring nationwide.”

Senator Heinrich has been urging the Trump administration to do everything possible to engage the researchers and scientists at New Mexico's national laboratories to find solutions to the coronavirus pandemic.

"Our national labs employ some of the best and brightest minds on Earth, and they have played a leading role in finding solutions to past public health crises," said Heinrich in a statement last month. "I urge President Trump to put our national labs to work once again in helping us better understand the challenges we are facing and engineering lifesaving solutions."