Press Releases
Udall Serving YoU: Our New Eastside Office in Portales
As your U.S. Senator I am working hard to serve constituents in all 33 New Mexico counties. Today I'm proud to announce I have opened a new office in Portales for residents in Eastern New Mexico. If you live in Roosevelt, Curry, Quay, De Baca, Harding or Union Counties, our Portales office is ready to serve you. You don't have to have to travel to Washington, D.C. for help - you can get it right here in Eastern New Mexico. New! Udall Eastside Office in Portales100 South Avenue ASuite 113Porta… Continue Reading
June 14, 2013
Udall Opens New Office in Eastern New Mexico
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - Today U.S. Senator Tom Udall (D-N.M.) announced he has opened a Senate office in Portales to serve New Mexico constituents in Roosevelt, Curry, Quay, De Baca, Harding and Union Counties. Located in the Roosevelt County Enterprise Center at 100 South Avenue A, Suite 113 in Portales, the field office will provide Eastern New Mexico residents an opportunity to receive more direct information on a variety of federal services, from helping access rural and small business resources… Continue Reading
June 14, 2013
Udall Seeks Extension of Lesser Prairie Listing in Bipartisan Letter to FWS
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Tom Udall has led a bipartisan call to extend a decision whether to list the lesser prairie chicken under the Endangered Species Act, his office announced today. Udall and senators from the five states affected by a possible listing sent a letter to Dan Ashe, Director of the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), requesting an additional six months in the listing decision process, as allowed by the Endangered Species Act. "With an influx of significant new public input from t… Continue Reading
June 14, 2013
NM Delegation Introduces Bill to Improve Tribal Education
WASHINGTON - Today U.S. Senators Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich, along with Reps. Ben Ray Luján, Michelle Lujan Grisham, and Steve Pearce announced they have introduced legislation to improve tribal education and preserve Native American language in schools. Graduation rates for American Indians and Alaska Natives are less than 50 percent - lower than the graduation rates for all other ethnic groups in the United States. The Building Upon Unique Indian Learning and Development (BUILD) Act … Continue Reading
June 14, 2013
Udall, Thune Applaud CMS Decision to Remove Barriers to Emergency Services in Rural Areas
WASHINGTON, D.C.- Senators Tom Udall (D-N.M.) and John Thune (R-S.D.) issued statements today applauding a recent decision by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) that will provide rural hospitals with the staffing flexibility needed in order to satisfy a federal emergency room "on call" staffing requirement. Udall and Thune,, who have been raising concerns about this issue for some time, introduced legislation earlier this year to correct this workforce regulation, the Strengthe… Continue Reading
June 14, 2013
Udall, Heinrich, Luján Express Concern With Increase in HIV Cases on Navajo Nation
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich and U.S. Representative Ben Ray Luján wrote a letter today to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Indian Health Services to express their concern with the rapid increase in HIV cases on the Navajo Nation. The New Mexico members were also joined by Representative Ann Kirkpatrick of Arizona. "We are very concerned about the rapid increase in HIV cases on the Navajo Nation in New Mexico and Arizona recently report… Continue Reading
June 13, 2013
Udall Named Chairman of Financial Services Appropriations Subcommittee
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Tom Udall has been named the Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Financial Services and General Government Subcommittee, his office announced today. Udall was named the new Chairman by Senator Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.), Chairwoman of the full Appropriations Committee. He succeeds Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.), who passed away on June 3, 2013. "As Chairman I look forward to the responsibility of ensuring taxpayers dollars are spent wisely and the interests of hardwo… Continue Reading
June 13, 2013
NM Counties to Receive $34 Million in PILT Payments for Police, Fire and Schools
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich today announced counties in New Mexico will receive approximately $34 million through the 2013 Payments in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) program. A full list of the funding by county is included below. PILT is administered through the Department of the Interior and provides funding for mostly rural counties that have a limited ability to levy taxes due to the amount of federal property in their jurisdiction, including Bureau of Land Management land… Continue Reading
June 12, 2013
NM Delegation Members Introduce Bill to Strengthen STEM Fields
WASHINGTON - Today U.S. Senators Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich, along with Reps. Ben Ray Luján, Michelle Lujan Grisham, and Steve Pearce announced they have introduced a bill to strengthen the nation's Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) education and training programs in New Mexico and the U.S. The STEM Support for Teachers in Education and Mentoring (STEM²) Act includes a package of initiatives designed to improve student interest and performance in STEM skills. It wou… Continue Reading
June 12, 2013
Udall Calls for Independent Investigation on NSA Data Collection, Director Says NSA Will Cooperate
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Tom Udall (D-N.M.) today led a bipartisan call for an independent investigation into the National Security Agency's (NSA) phone records and data collection programs by a key privacy and civil liberties panel originally recommended by the 9/11 Commission and strengthened through Udall's efforts in the House of Representatives. Udall sent a bipartisan letter to the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board, asking it to "make it an urgent priority to investigate the pro… Continue Reading
June 11, 2013
Udall Encouraged by Vote to Begin Comprehensive Immigration Reform Debate
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Tom Udall (D-N.M.) issued the following statement today after voting to begin debate on the comprehensive immigration reform legislation, S. 744, the Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act: "I was very encouraged with the strong, bipartisan vote to restart the debate on comprehensive immigration reform in the U.S. Senate. "We still have a long way to go before immigration reform becomes law, and as it progresses in the Senate I will be… Continue Reading
June 10, 2013
Udall Hails Passage of Farm Bill in the Senate
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Tom Udall issued the following statement today after the Agriculture Reform, Food and Jobs Act of 2013, also known as the farm bill, passed the Senate by a vote of 66-27: "Today I was proud to support passage of the Senate's new farm bill - a very important step for New Mexico, especially during our extreme drought. This bill contains the most significant reforms in decades - saving $24 billion in taxpayer dollars by eliminating wasteful programs like direct payments an… Continue Reading
June 07, 2013
Udall, Heinrich, Pearce Praise Final Rule Extending Border Commercial Zone
WASHINGTON - Today U.S. Senators Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich, along with U.S. Representative Steve Pearce, praised the Department of Homeland Security's final rulemaking decision to extend the current border commercial zone from 25 to 55 miles in Southern New Mexico. In an effort to promote border commerce, Mexican nationals who have undergone background, fingerprint and security checks may receive Border Crossing Cards (BCC) and are currently permitted to travel 25 miles into the United State… Continue Reading
June 06, 2013
Udall: Americans Deserve More Transparency on Phone Record Collection
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Tom Udall released the following statement today on news reports that government agencies have collected extensive information on Americans' phone records: "The news that the government issued a blanket order for Americans' phone records is deeply disturbing and exactly why I voted against the Patriot Act in 2001. It's also why I have opposed reauthorization of similar provisions without adding civil liberties protections - protections that require agencies to explain… Continue Reading
June 06, 2013
Udall and Heinrich: Prevent Fires from Downed Power Lines
WASHINGTON - Following news that recent fires in New Mexico were caused by downed power lines, U.S. Senators Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich are encouraging cooperation between utility companies and federal agencies to keep trees away from power lines and reduce the risk of wildfires. Downed power lines have caused several wildfires, including the Tres Lagunas and Thompson Ridge fires currently burning in northern New Mexico. In letters to the U.S. Departments of the Interior and Agriculture and t… Continue Reading
June 06, 2013
Udall, Heinrich, Luján Announce Fire Management Assistance Grant For Tres Lagunas Fire
WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senators Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich and U.S. Representative Ben Ray Luján announced the approval of a Fire Management Assistance Grant Program for the Tres Lagunas, currently burning in New Mexico. The grant is awarded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), an agency of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. "I am pleased to see this federal support coming to New Mexico so quickly, especially because the Tres Lagunas Fire continues to burn," said… Continue Reading
June 05, 2013
Udall Office to Host Business Resource Fairs in Eddy, Lea Counties
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - U.S. Senator Tom Udall (D-NM) announced today that his office will host two "Business Resource Fairs" next week in Carlsbad and Hobbs. The Udall Business Resource Fairs, which are free and open to the public, will provide an opportunity for area businesses and local economic development leaders to learn more about resources available to support economic growth and infrastructure improvements in Southeast New Mexico. They will also build on discussions Udall had during his re… Continue Reading
June 05, 2013
Members of NM Delegation Introduce Bill to Protect Special-Ed Federal Funding
WASHINGTON - Members of the New Mexico Congressional Delegation have introduced a bill that would protect New Mexico's future special education funding. This week, the Department of Education ruled that New Mexico underfunded its share of the cost of educating students with special needs for the state fiscal year 2011. It determined New Mexico did not meet its financial obligations for special education spending by $34 million. Under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), state… Continue Reading
June 01, 2013
New Mexico Wildfires
As fires across our state continue to burn, I am doing everything I can to help our firefighting personnel and officials on the ground. One day after the first fire started, I attended a briefing on the Tres Lagunas fire by Incident Commander John Pierson, and I have been in contact with local leaders in both communities to monitor the efforts being made on both fires. I will continue to keep a close eye on the situation to make sure our officials and residents have the support they need, and he… Continue Reading
May 22, 2013
Udall, Rockefeller Introduce Bill to Help Protect Young Athletes from Sports-Related Traumatic Brain Injuries
WASHINGTON - To mark National Physical Fitness and Sports Month, U.S. Senators Tom Udall (D-N.M.) and John D. "Jay" Rockefeller IV (D-W.Va.), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, today introduced legislation that seeks to protect youth athletes from the dangers of sports-related traumatic brain injuries by improving equipment safety standards and curbing false advertising claims. The Youth Sports Concussion Act will help ensure that safety standards for spor… Continue Reading
