press releases

In a Tuesday press conference, Democratic U.S. Sens. Martin Heinrich and Ben Ray Lujan announced the reintroduction of federal legislation to protect 450 miles of waterways within the Gila River system under the 1968 Wild and Scenic Rivers Act. “It’s long past time to protect these segments as Wild and Scenic,” Heinrich told...

On Tuesday New Mexico Senators Martin Heinrich and Ben Ray Luján introduced legislation to designate the Gila River as a Wild And Scenic River, which would protect the watershed from mining and agricultural interests in the region. The Gila River is one of the last remaining free-flowing rivers and tributary systems to the Colorado...

WASHINGTON (Nov. 1, 2021) – Today, U.S. Senators Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) introduced the Wildlife-Livestock Conflict Resolution Act, legislation that allows federal grazing permittees to voluntarily retire their grazing permits. Senators Heinrich and Luján are introducing the legislation as options for...

WASHINGTON (Oct. 29, 2021) – U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) is welcoming an announcement from Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Acting Commissioner Janet Woodcock that the agency has granted an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for the Pfizer BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine for children ages 5-11 to begin receiving the COVID-19...

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senatora Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) applauded the inclusion of their provisions to help American families reduce their energy costs and improve energy efficiency in their homes within the Build Back Better Framework. The legislation includes key provisions of Senator...

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senatora Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) applauded the inclusion of their provisions to help American families reduce their energy costs and improve energy efficiency in their homes within the Build Back Better Framework. The legislation includes key provisions of Senator...

WASHINGTON (Oct. 28, 2021) – Today, U.S. Senators Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) joined a bipartisan group of senators to introduce the bipartisanHydrogen Infrastructure Initiative, a package of three bills to support the adoption of hydrogen in energy intensive sectors. The bills are led by U.S. Senators Chris...

WASHINGTON (Oct. 28, 2021) – Today, U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) participated in the 2021 San Juan Basin Energy Conference where he laid out his innovative vision for New Mexico’s clean energy future, including the San Juan Basin’s potential as a major hub for clean hydrogen production. The theme of the...

WASHINGTON (Oct. 27, 2021) – Today, U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Vice Chair of the U.S. Joint Economic Committee (JEC), participated in a hearing exploring challenges the workforce is facing as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. VIDEO: Heinrich Promotes Better Access To Childcare, Child Tax Credit Expansions As Key Tools...

WASHINGTON (Oct. 27, 2021) – U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) issued the following statement applauding President Joe Biden’s nomination and designation of Jessica Rosenworcel to serve as permanent Chair of the Federal Communications Commission.  “This is a welcome announcement given Jessica Rosenworcel’s...

WASHINGTON (Oct. 26, 2021) – Today, U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) issued a statement after former-U.S. Senator Tom Udall received Senate confirmation to be the next U.S. Ambassador to New Zealand and Samoa.  “Tom showed all of us how to act with decency and integrity, how to stay true to your principles, but also how to...

WASHINGTON (Oct. 26, 2021) – U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), a co-founder of the Senate Artificial Intelligence Caucus, is welcoming efforts by the National Science Foundation (NSF) to establish a new theme prioritizing trustworthy AI as part of its National Artificial Intelligence (AI) Research Institutes. The recent...

WASHINGTON (Oct. 25, 2021) – Today, U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) laid out the need for critical climate action investments during the New Mexico 2021 Climate Summit. Senator Heinrich and several members of his staff are participating in the first-of-its-kind, two-day event hosted by New Mexico Speaker of the House Brian...

WASHINGTON (Oct. 19, 2021) – U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), a member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources (ENR) Committee, participated in a Public Lands, Forests, & Mining Subcommittee legislative hearing this week where his Buffalo Tract Protection Act gained the support of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). VIDEO:...

WASHINGTON (Oct. 21, 2021) – U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) issued the following statement after Senate Republicans blocked debate on the Freedom to Vote Act, legislation that would reduce the influence of money in politics, end the act of politicians picking and choosing the voters they want, and protect access to voting. “I am...

WASHINGTON (Oct. 20, 2021) – Today, U.S. Senators Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) and U.S. Representative Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.) joined a bicameral group of lawmakers, the League of Conservation of Voters, Climate Power, and the Climate Action Campaign for a press conference highlighting the need to tackle the...

We continue to stare down dangerous and overt threats to our democracy in the U.S. Congress must do more to ensure our most fundamental constitutional right to vote is secure, accessible, and easy to navigate for every single lawful American. We should all be proud that New Mexico is setting a national example for what it looks like to enhance...

WASHINGTON (Oct. 19, 2021) – U.S. Senators Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) joined several of their colleagues in a letter to the U.S. Department of Justice seeking an update on the actions of the Department’s Election Threats Task Force, which was established in July to receive and assess reports of threats...

WASHINGTON (Oct. 19, 2021) – U.S. Senators Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) released the following statements after the Senate Committee on Appropriations released the remaining nine Fiscal Year 2022 Appropriations Bills.  The bills comply with the topline spending allocation contained in the Fiscal Year 2022...

Trees and plants are nature’s best ally for capturing and sequestering carbon dioxide, and New Mexico State University wants to harness that power to help fight climate change in arid environments.   As the state’s land grant university, NMSU is well prepared to lead the way in decarbonizing agriculture in rural and urban areas...