Press Releases
Udall, Heinrich Statement On Radiation At Waste Isolation Pilot Plant
CARLSBAD, N.M. - U.S Senators Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich issued the following statement after an air monitor detected higher than usual radiation levels at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) in Carlsbad, New Mexico: "We are in close contact with officials at the Department of Energy and WIPP, and we will continue to monitor the situation as more information becomes available. The safety of WIPP personnel and the surrounding community is of the utmost importance." The U.S. Department of En… Continue Reading
February 14, 2014
Udall, Heinrich Welcome News that USDA will Enable Ranchers to Sign up for Farm Bill Drought Disaster Aid within 60 Days
WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senators Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture will soon enable livestock producers to sign up for disaster assistance, which the senators helped to pass in the Farm Bill earlier this month. The assistance is being expedited -- signups will begin in 60 days -- at the request of Udall, Heinrich and several other senators from Western states, where producers have been struggling with several years of drought. The program provides a… Continue Reading
February 14, 2014
More Doctors, More Jobs & Better Care for New Mexico
This week I introduced two bills to help solve an issue that affects nearly everyone in our state - access to quality health care. For generations, community doctors have treated entire families -- delivering babies and healing everything from chicken pox to heart disease. Small-town doctors help hold communities together. I believe everyone deserves access to this kind of quality health care. But times are changing, and New Mexico faces a serious shortage of primary care providers in every coun… Continue Reading
February 13, 2014
N.M. Dem Congressional Delegation Supports N.M. Minimum Wage Increase
WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Sens. Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich, and U.S. Reps. Ben Ray Luján and Michelle Lujan Grisham announced their enthusiastic support for increasing New Mexico's minimum wage. The New Mexico state legislature is currently debating a measure to raise the minimum wage and provide for annual inflation increases to strengthen the economy and help lift more families into the middle class. Udall, Heinrich, Luján and Lujan Grisham also support raising the federal mini… Continue Reading
February 12, 2014
Udall Votes to Reverse Military Retiree COLA Reduction
WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senator Tom Udall joined the full Senate in voting to undo a 1 percent reduction to the cost of living adjustment (COLA) for working-age military retirees and current service members who have not yet reached retirement. The reduction in COLA was included as part of a bipartisan budget agreement passed by the Senate in December. The Senate voted 95-3 to reverse the cut. The U.S. House of Representatives approved the measure earlier this week. It now goes to the president … Continue Reading
February 12, 2014
In Speech, Udall Urges Support for his Bill to Improve Care for Rural Veterans
WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senator Tom Udall spoke on the Senate floor about a bipartisan bill he introduced with Senator Dean Heller (R-Nev.) to address some of the biggest barriers to health care for veterans in rural communities. To illustrate the need for the bill, Udall told the stories of many rural New Mexico veterans who have struggled to access health care - traveling long distances and enduring high turnover among doctors and staff at rural VA clinics, among other problems - and discusse… Continue Reading
February 11, 2014
Udall Introduces Bill to Increase Access to Health Care, Address Physician Shortage in Rural N.M., U.S.
WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senator Tom Udall announced he has introduced legislation to increase access to primary care services in New Mexico and across the country and to address the growing shortage of doctors and other health care professionals in rural and underserved communities. The problem was highlighted earlier this year in a series of articles by the Albuquerque Journal. New Mexico faces a serious shortage of primary health care providers in every county but Los Alamos; 1,429 doctors… Continue Reading
February 11, 2014
Udall, Heinrich Urge USDA to Move Quickly on Disaster Aid to Livestock Producers
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich today announced that they have sent a bipartisan letter signed by a coalition of senators to U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, encouraging the USDA to expedite the implementation of the livestock disaster programs reauthorized in the 2014 Farm Bill. The Farm Bill's disaster assistance programs are critical for New Mexico's livestock producers, who have had to cut back their herds in the wake of several years of drought… Continue Reading
February 10, 2014
Udall, Heller Introduce Bill to Improve Health Care for Rural Veterans
WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Sens. Tom Udall (D-N.M.) and Dean Heller (R-Nev.) introduced a bill to address some of the biggest barriers to health care for veterans in rural communities. More than 6 million veterans, including a third of all Iraq and Afghanistan veterans, live in rural communities. But as many as half of those veterans may be going without care from the VA. Rural veterans too often struggle to access quality care because it isn't available locally. For some, traveling to and from an… Continue Reading
February 06, 2014
Udall Statement on Continued Obstruction of Emergency Unemployment Insurance
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Tom Udall issued the following statement after Republicans filibustered a measure to extend emergency unemployment insurance that would help 6,000 New Mexicans: "I'm extremely disappointed that once again, partisanship kept families in New Mexico looking for work from getting help they need. Nearly 6,000 New Mexicans have already lost this lifeline because of partisan obstruction. And today, Republicans again blocked emergency unemployment insurance for them and for hu… Continue Reading
February 06, 2014
Sen. Udall, Rep. Bishop Urge Renewal of Successful BLM Energy Permitting Field Offices
WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Sen. Tom Udall (D-N.M.) and U.S. Rep. Rob Bishop (R-Utah) wrote to Interior Secretary Sally Jewell, seeking to reauthorize a successful pilot program that has helped the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) improve efficiency and balance complex demands, including oil and gas permitting and environmental conservation, in New Mexico and other parts of the West. The Energy Policy Act of 2005 created the pilot program to improve the federal mineral development permit process and… Continue Reading
February 06, 2014
Udall Recruiting Summer Session Interns for Washington, D.C., Office
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Tom Udall invites New Mexico college students interested in gaining legislative or press relations experience to apply for summer internships in his Washington, D.C., office. For more information and to apply for an internship, please visit http://www.tomudall.senate.gov/internships. During the upcoming summer internship program, Udall's office in Washington, D.C., will host two summer sessions: May 27 - June 27, and June 30 - August 1. Applications and letters of reco… Continue Reading
February 05, 2014
Udall: Jornada 'Climate Hub' will Help N.M. Farmers and Ranchers Adapt to Climate Changes
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Tom Udall issued the following statement on President Obama's decision to name the Jornada Experimental Range in Las Cruces, N.M., the U.S. Department of Agriculture Southwest "climate hub." As a climate hub, it will provide information to rural communities in New Mexico, California, Utah, Nevada and Arizona about the impacts of climate change. Udall and Senator Martin Heinrich wrote to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack in October in support of the Jornada Experimental … Continue Reading
February 05, 2014
Udall Encourages Veterans to Use New GI Bill Comparison Tool
WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senator Tom Udall encouraged veterans, service members, and their eligible dependents to use a new online GI Bill Comparison Tool launched by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). The tool provides users of the Post-9/11 GI Bill with increased information about colleges, universities, and other education and training programs. This new tool will help veterans avoid scams that use misleading or predatory tactics to target veterans and their families as they strive to r… Continue Reading
February 04, 2014
Udall, Heinrich: Farm Bill Clears Congress with Help for NM Counties, Livestock Producers
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich today joined the Senate in passing the Farm Bill, major legislation that will send needed assistance to N.M. farmers and livestock producers, and help almost every N.M. county provide basic public services. The Farm Bill, which provides agriculture funding and sets policies on everything from crop insurance and disaster aid to nutrition programs for the next five years, passed the Senate 68-32. It passed the U.S. House of Representative… Continue Reading
February 03, 2014
Udall Joins Coalition to Introduce Net Neutrality Legislation
WASHINGTON - Today, Senators Tom Udall (D-N.M.), Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Ct.), Al Franken (D-Minn.), , Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) introduced S. 1981, "The Open Internet Preservation Act" to protect consumers and innovation online. Last month, the D.C. Circuit struck down the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) Open Internet rules preventing broadband providers from blocking or discriminating against content online. The bill would restore these r… Continue Reading
January 31, 2014
Securing Support for our Local Communities
This week, I'm proud to announce my fight for a significant source of funding for rural New Mexico counties was successful. PILT - or Payment in Lieu of Taxes - is vital for counties across the West, but funding for the program was left out of a major budget bill earlier this year. I've been working with a bipartisan group of Western senators to reinstate PILT, and this week, we are able to announce that funding has been included in the Farm Bill at our request. This is a major victory for New M… Continue Reading
January 30, 2014
Udall Praises Nomination of New Mexico's Norman C. Bay to Lead Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Tom Udall today welcomed news that Norman C. Bay, a former University of New Mexico law professor and U.S. Attorney, has been nominated to chair the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). Bay is currently the Director of the Office of Enforcement at FERC, a position he has held since 2009. "Norman is an outstanding example of excellence in public service. I look forward to working with him on the energy challenges facing New Mexico and the nation. We need a 'do it… Continue Reading
January 30, 2014
Udall Praises Nomination of New Mexico's Norman C. Bay to Lead Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Tom Udall today welcomed news that Norman C. Bay, a former University of New Mexico law professor and U.S. Attorney, has been nominated to chair the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). Bay is currently the Director of the Office of Enforcement at FERC, a position he has held since 2009. "Norman is an outstanding example of excellence in public service. I look forward to working with him on the energy challenges facing New Mexico and the nation. We need a 'do it… Continue Reading
January 28, 2014
Udall Statement on President’s State of the Union Address
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Tom Udall issued the following statement after attending the State of the Union address: "Like many New Mexicans, I'm frustrated by the tough economic recovery. People in our state are still working to pull themselves out of the recession. Now is a time for bold but practical ideas that will support middle class families and ensure they can afford to buy a house and educate their kids. I was pleased tonight to hear the president pledge to roll up his sleeves to make rea… Continue Reading
