press releases

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Sens. Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich and U.S. Reps. Michelle Lujan Grisham, Steve Pearce and Ben Ray Luján welcomed passage in the U.S. House of Representatives of the Albuquerque Indian School Land Transfer Act. The bill, which previously passed in the U.S. Senate, now heads to President Obama for his...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Sens. Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich announced that several New Mexico Tribes and organizations will be receiving a total of $4.39 million over five years to prevent suicide, fight drug abuse and combat domestic violence through the Indian Health Service's Methamphetamine and Suicide Prevention Initiative (MSPI)...

RED VALLEY, Ariz. – U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich is continuing to build the steps to push mining reform in wake of the Gold King Mine spill. Heinrich and U.S. Sen. Tom Udall, both New Mexico Democrats, are working to introduce legislation to amend the General Mining Law of 1872. Under the proposal, hard rock mining companies would pay...

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) raised concerns over reports of an out-of-state company manufacturing and marketing its products under the guise of authentic chile from Hatch, New Mexico. He issued the following statement today calling for better labeling protections for locally-produced products: "I am proud of...

SHIPROCK, NM-- The Navajo Nation is still reeling from the Gold King Mine spill as the nation continues to recover from another decades-old mining operation. Uranium mining operations from the Cold War and all the way back to the 1940s are still being felt on the Navajo Nation. Friday, Senator Martin Heinrich toured some key sites. "We wanted to...

FARMINGTON, N.M. - U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) will travel to the Navajo Nation on Friday, October 2, and Saturday, October 3, to tour the massive tribal farm south of Farmington, visit Navajo uranium legacy sites, and join the local community at this year's Shiprock Northern Navajo Nation Fair and Parade. On Friday morning, Senator...

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Sens. Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich and U.S. Reps. Steve Pearce, Ben Ray Luján and Michelle Lujan Grisham welcomed news that the Native American Community Academy (NACA) Foundation is receiving a highly competitive $2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education to launch and maintain five schools in New...

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Sens. Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich and U.S. Reps. Michelle Lujan Grisham, Steve Pearce and Ben Ray Luján welcomed passage in the Senate of the Albuquerque Indian School Land Transfer Act. Udall, a member of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, and Heinrich introduced the Senate bill to place four tracts...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Sens. Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich and Rep. Ben Ray Luján of New Mexico, and Sen. Michael Bennet of Colorado, are introducing legislation to help the Navajo Nation and communities in Northwestern New Mexico and Southwestern Colorado recover from the Gold King Mine blowout that spilled toxic wastewater...

Last month, a large plume of bright orange toxic waste spilled into the Animas and San Juan Rivers and polluted the Four Corners region. When I toured affected areas following the Gold King Mine spill, I visited with impacted residents and joined the San Juan County Fire Department to deliver water to farmers in Aztec. I was also briefed on the...

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Sept. 16, 2015) - Today, U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) spoke at a U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs oversight hearing on the Gold King Mine spill, which caused a large plume of bright orange toxic waste to spill into the Animas and San Juan Rivers and pollute the Four Corners region last month. The committee examined...

FARMINGTON — Two AmeriCorps programs that operate on the Navajo Nation will receive AmeriCorps grants to continue their services. AmeriCorps is a national service program whose members serve rural and urban communities across the country. Members focus on mentoring youth, helping veterans access services, responding to disasters and building...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich announced that two New Mexico tribes have won AmeriCorps grants to meet critical needs in their communities. The Shiprock Chapter of the Navajo Nation, Navajo AmeriCorps in Nenahnezad and Santo Domingo Pueblo will receive funding totaling $180,387. “By both helping...

U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich helped fill troughs used to water livestock today as local farmers and ranches relied on stored and transported water and waited for word they can reopen irrigation ditches that were closed to prevent contamination from a plume of toxic wastewater that was released into the Animas River last week from a mine in...

FARMINGTON, N.M. – Tomorrow, Friday, August 14, at 9:30 a.m. MT, U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) will join the San Juan Country Fire Department to deliver water to local residents impacted by the Gold King Mine spill that occurred in the Animas River. In the afternoon, Senator Heinrich will meet with Navajo Nation President Russell...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Sens. Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich announced that the state of New Mexico, along with Doña Ana, Grant, Hidalgo, Luna and Otero counties, will receive more than $10 million combined for border security and emergency preparedness. The funding comes from various U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS)...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – In a letter this week to Office of Management and Budget (OPM) Director Shaun Donovan, U.S. Sens. Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich and U.S. Reps. Ben Ray Luján and Michelle Lujan Grisham called for prompt action on upcoming federal standards to curb natural gas waste. New Mexico is the nation’s leading producer of...

WASHINGTON, D.C. (July 13, 2015) - During a teleconference call with reporters, U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), a member of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, and U.S. Congressman Raúl M. Grijalva (Ariz.-03), the Ranking Member of the House Natural Resources Committee, unveiled the Tribal Tax Incentive for...

Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today debuted legislation to open up renewable energy tax credits to Native American tribes. While the Senate scrambles to extend tax incentives for the expanding alternative energy sector, Heinrich and Grijalva offered their bills to give federally recognized Indian tribes...

Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) spent Wednesday afternoon getting his hands dirty in Bandelier National Monument. Heinrich worked two hours with a preservation crew composed entirely of Puebloan youth who are helping to restore Tyuonyi Pueblo on the Main Loop Trail. The Bandelier Preservation crew is a pilot program sponsored by AmeriCorps and the...