Press Releases
Udall Encouraged by Progress on Chemical Safety Reform, Urges Passage in Committee
WASHINGTON - As the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee prepares to finalize or "mark up" bipartisan legislation by U.S. Senator Tom Udall to overhaul the nation's broken chemical safety law, Udall said he was very optimistic about the chances that Congress will finally act to reform the 1976 Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) and protect Americans from dangerous chemicals. The bill the committee will consider today at 10 a.m. incorporates changes negotiated over the weekend with Demo… Continue Reading
April 27, 2015
Udall, Whitehouse, Merkley, Booker Announce Breakthrough Improvements to Landmark Chemical Safety Bill
WASHINGTON - Today, Democratic U.S. Sens. Tom Udall (N.M.), Sheldon Whitehouse (R.I.), Jeff Merkley (Ore.) and Cory Booker (N.J.) announced a major breakthrough agreement in historic legislation to reform the nation's broken chemical safety law, a day before a "markup" hearing to finalize the legislation in the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. Following intense weekend negotiations, the bipartisan compromise agreement strengthens protections under the proposed law and expands state… Continue Reading
April 24, 2015
Udall Delivers Keynote Speech at New Mexico Early Childhood Development and Health Symposium
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - Today, U.S. Senator Tom Udall delivered the keynote speech at an Early Childhood Development and Health Symposium sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Center on Health Policy and the McCune Charitable Foundation. The symposium in downtown Albuquerque brought together national and local researchers, practitioners and policymakers to address ways to improve early childhood development and health outcomes in New Mexico. Udall is a leader in the push to improve child h… Continue Reading
April 23, 2015
Udall Statement on Confirmation of Loretta Lynch as U.S. Attorney General
WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senator Tom Udall issued the following statement after joining the Senate in voting 56-43 to confirm Loretta Lynch as U.S. Attorney General: "With a wealth of experience and her lifetime commitment to justice, Loretta Lynch is extremely well-qualified to be attorney general, and I was honored to vote to confirm her. New Mexicans understand that diversity makes us stronger, and I'm proud she's making history as the first African-American woman to serve as our nation's to… Continue Reading
April 23, 2015
Udall Statement on Deaths of American, Italian Hostages
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Tom Udall, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, released the following statement on the deaths of two hostages held by Al Qaeda: "I send my sincere condolences to the families of Warren Weinstein and Giovanni Lo Porto, innocent humanitarian workers who were taken hostage while in Pakistan working to improve the lives of others. It is important that we determine the facts regarding their tragic deaths, and learn how this intelligence lapse could have been… Continue Reading
April 22, 2015
Udall Introduces Bipartisan Legislation to Expand U.S. Agricultural Exports to Cuba
WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senator Tom Udall, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, introduced a bipartisan bill to help support and improve the export of American agricultural commodities to Cuba. U.S. Senators Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.), John Boozman (R-Ark.) and Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) joined Udall to introduce the legislation. The number one barrier that farmers and agricultural exporters in New Mexico and across the country have faced when trying to export to Cuba is a prohibition aga… Continue Reading
April 22, 2015
Udall: Momentum Growing to Permanently Authorize, Fully Fund Land and Water Conservation Fund
WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senator Tom Udall welcomed growing support to permanently authorize and fully fund the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), which conserves and promotes public access to the country's national parks, forests and public lands, and also funds state and local conservation grants. The program is set to expire in September of this year, and Udall has introduced legislation to find a permanent solution for the LWCF. The LWCF has helped create and protect urban parks and o… Continue Reading
April 22, 2015
Udall: Celebrate Earth Day by Committing to Pass Meaningful Chemical Safety Reform
WASHINGTON - Today, on the 45th anniversary of Earth Day, U.S. Senator Tom Udall urged Congress to make it a priority to pass meaningful chemical safety reform into law this year. Momentum is continuing to build for Udall's bipartisan bill to overhaul the nation's broken chemical safety law, the 1976 Toxic Substances Control Act. Udall's legislation has 21 cosponsors from across the political spectrum, and a parallel bipartisan effort is underway in the U.S. House of Representatives. The bill,… Continue Reading
April 21, 2015
Udall at Appropriations Hearing: VA Must Improve Care in New Mexico, End Waitlist & Claims Backlog
WASHINGTON - Today, during a hearing of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, U.S. Senator Tom Udall continued to press Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert McDonald on efforts to improve care for veterans in the wake of the appointment scheduling scandal and unacceptable delay in processing a backlog of benefit claims. VA officials assured Udall that the benefit claims backlog in New Mexico would be zero by the end of the year — somethi… Continue Reading
April 21, 2015
Udall: No Child Left Behind Reform Bill Includes NM Priorities, Takes Steps to Help More Kids Succeed
WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senator Tom Udall announced that several of the priorities he has championed for New Mexico students have been included in the Every Child Achieves Act. The bill, which the full Senate will debate in the coming months, reforms and updates No Child Left Behind to improve access to a high-quality K-12 education. The Every Child Achieves Act, which was approved unanimously by the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, includes a provision to allow t… Continue Reading
April 20, 2015
Building the Next Generation of Leaders
My family has a long tradition of public service, and as your United States Senator, I work hard to support as many opportunities as possible to help the next generation of New Mexico leaders develop their own passion for service. Washington, D.C., is far away and difficult for many New Mexicans to visit, and so I also work hard to bring opportunities closer to home. As part of this effort, I recently hosted the 26th annual Student Leadership Institute for New Mexico high school juniors and seni… Continue Reading
April 17, 2015
You’re Invited: Money Smart Week
Managing your money wisely is crucial to planning for the future and making big financial decisions. But when it comes to saving for retirement, borrowing money for college, or buying a house, many of us have questions about the smartest ways to save. Understanding how to build your credit, protect yourself from scams, and create a basic budget can relieve stress and lead to a secure and happy future for you and your family. That's why I'm very excited to partner with the Federal Reserve Bank, t… Continue Reading
April 16, 2015
Udall Presses VA Secretary McDonald on Wait Times for NM Veterans, Efforts to Improve Care
WASHINGTON - Last night, U.S. Senator Tom Udall, a member of the Senate Appropriations Military Construction and Veterans Affairs subcommittee, met with Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert McDonald to discuss the VA's ongoing efforts to improve care for veterans in the wake of the appointment scheduling scandal that has affected the Albuquerque VA and other clinics in New Mexico. Udall has called for independent and criminal investigations of the troubled Albuquerque VA hospital, and… Continue Reading
April 15, 2015
Udall: Momentum Building for Bipartisan Chemical Safety Reform
WASHINGTON - Bipartisan momentum continues to build for legislation to reform the nation's broken chemical safety law, the Toxic Substances Control Act of 1976 (TSCA). Today, U.S. Senator Tom Udall announced that two additional senators - Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) and John Thune (R-S.D.) - have cosponsored the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act. Udall's bill is named for the late Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.), a longtime champion for a strong chemical safety law, and i… Continue Reading
April 15, 2015
Udall, Heinrich: New Mexico's Norman C. Bay to Assume Leadership Post at Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senators Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich welcomed Norman C. Bay, a former University of New Mexico law professor and U.S. Attorney for the District of New Mexico, as the new chair of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). In July 2014, the Senate confirmed Bay with bipartisan support as a commissioner of FERC, and slated him to be named chairman nine months following the confirmation. Prior to serving as a FERC commissioner, Bay had served as Director of the Offi… Continue Reading
April 15, 2015
Udall, Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas- El Paso Branch and Money Smart Week Partner Organizations Announce Kick-off Event for Money Smart Week 2015
LAS CRUCES, N.M. - The office of U.S. Senator Tom Udall, the El Paso Branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas and partner organizations will host a Saturday kickoff for Money Smart Week (MSW), featuring a series of events designed to help consumers better manage their personal finances. The Money Smart Week (MSW) Kick-off event will be held on Saturday, April 18, 2015 from 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. at the Rio Grande Theatre, 211 N. Main Street. The program will include FREE giveaways, a money m… Continue Reading
April 15, 2015
Udall Statement on Senate Vote to Extend Children’s Health Insurance Program, Fix Medicare Payments
WASHINGTON - Late last night, U.S. Senator Tom Udall joined the Senate in voting 92-8 for a measure that will extend the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), which ensures thousands of New Mexico children can get health care, and reform the federal government's system for reimbursing physicians who provide health care to seniors and the disabled under Medicare. The bill provides a permanent solution for the Medicare repayment system, a formula that has for many years needed to be adjusted… Continue Reading
April 14, 2015
Udall Welcomes Decision to Remove Cuba from List of State Sponsors of Terrorism
WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senator Tom Udall, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, expressed support for the administration's decision to remove Cuba from the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism. Udall is a longtime advocate for normalizing diplomatic relations with Cuba and supports legislation permitting U.S. citizens to freely travel to Cuba, efforts to open the Internet, and end the embargo blocking U.S. trade with Cuba. In November, Udall traveled to Cuba with Senator Jeff… Continue Reading
April 14, 2015
Sen. Udall, Rep. Edwards Introduce Bill to Combat Leading Cause of Water Pollution
WASHINGTON - Today U.S. Senator Tom Udall (D-N.M.) and U.S. Representative Donna F. Edwards (D-Md.) introduced legislation to promote innovative ways to prevent flooding and water pollution created when rain or melted snow (stormwater) picks up toxic chemicals and sediment as it flows over roads, parking lots, roofs and lawns and into rivers and streams. The Innovative Stormwater Infrastructure Act encourages new outside-the-box strategies to help prevent and manage stormwater pollution. In addi… Continue Reading
April 13, 2015
Udall, Heinrich Announce $55 Million Federal Funding for Head Start Programs Across Northern NM
WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senators Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich announced $55 million in federal grant funding for six early childhood education programs that serve communities across northern New Mexico. The funding is provided through grants from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Four Indian Head Start programs will receive funding to expand and sustain Head Start programs. The Ohkay Owingeh Tribal Council in Rio Arriba County will receive $782,969 per year for five years to se… Continue Reading
