Press Releases
Senators Launch Effort to Employ Youth Restoring Public Lands
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich today reintroduced legislation to expand job training and educational opportunities for youth, while helping repair and restore the country's public lands. The Public Lands Service Corps Act of 2013 improves on the existing Public Lands Corps by expanding the scope of projects to reflect new challenges. It would also add incentives to attract new participants, including Native Americans and veterans, that suffer from disproportionately hig… Continue Reading
February 14, 2013
Udall Makes Case for NM Assets at Approps Hearing
WASHINGTON - At a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing today, New Mexico Sen. Tom Udall pressed top Obama Administration officials about the potentially dangerous impacts of federal budget cuts on the national laboratories and military bases in his state. The rare full committee hearing, Udall's first since being appointed to the panel, examined "The Impacts of Sequestration" and outlined the negative impacts of scheduled across-the-board federal budget cuts in detail. For video of the … Continue Reading
February 14, 2013
Senators Introduce Bill to Reauthorize Critical Drought Information Program
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Tom Udall (D-NM) joined Senators Mark Pryor (D-AR), Jerry Moran (R-KS), John Thune (R-SD) and Mark Udall (D-CO) today to introduce legislation that would reauthorize the National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS), which provides vital drought information to farmers, ranchers, and other industries affected by weather conditions. The NIDIS program is a function of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Since the NIDIS Act was signed into law, gov… Continue Reading
February 14, 2013
Thune, Udall Introduce Bill to Improve Access to Emergency Services in Rural Areas
WASHINGTON - Senators John Thune (R-S.D.) and Tom Udall (D-N.M.) today introduced legislation to improve access to emergency services in rural and medically underserved areas. The Strengthening Rural Access to Emergency Services Act (S. 328) would amend the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA) to allow eligible hospitals in rural and medically underserved areas to use interactive telehealth programs to satisfy the federal emergency room staffing requirement for an "on call" physici… Continue Reading
February 14, 2013
Udall And Heinrich Introduce Bipartisan Bill To Protect Public Lands And Spur Economic Growth
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) led a group of western Senators, including Tom Udall (D-N.M.) and Dean Heller (R-NV), in introducing a bill to reauthorize the Federal Land Transaction Facilitation Act (FLTFA). FLTFA allows the Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Forest Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the National Park Service in the western United States to use the proceeds from sales of certain federally designated areas to protect lands of exceptional conser… Continue Reading
February 13, 2013
Udall, Heinrich Introduce Kenneth J. Gonzales at Senate Confirmation Hearing
WASHINGTON, D.C. (Feb. 13, 2013) - New Mexico U.S. Senators Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich today introduced U.S. District Court nominee Kenneth J. Gonzales at his confirmation hearing held by the Senate Judiciary Committee. Gonzales, the current U.S. attorney for New Mexico, was nominated by President Obama to serve as a judge on the U.S. District Court for the District of New Mexico. "Ken Gonzales is an exceptionally well-qualified nominee," said Udall. "He has shown a reverence for-and dedicati… Continue Reading
February 13, 2013
Udall Hosts NM’s MVD Express at Senate Meeting on Job Creation
WASHINGTON - New Mexico small business leader Janice Lucero of Albuquerque was the guest of U.S. Senator Tom Udall at a Capitol Hill discussion on best practices creating jobs and strengthening America's economy. Lucero is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of MVD Express, a public-private partnership with the State of New Mexico that provides high-quality, efficient motor vehicle services throughout 11 locations in the state. Representatives from the technology, IT, manufacturing, food ind… Continue Reading
February 13, 2013
Udall Recruits Applicants for Internships
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Tom Udall invites New Mexico college students interested in gaining legislative or press relations experience to apply for internships in his Washington, D.C., Santa Fe, Albuquerque, Las Cruces and Carlsbad offices. To apply online, please click here, or visit Udall's website at www.tomudall.senate.gov. Washington internships have two summer sessions: May 28 - June 28 and July 1 - August 2. The deadline to apply for the 2013 DC summer sessions is Sunday, March 17. P… Continue Reading
February 12, 2013
Udall Remarks on State of the Union Address
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Tom Udall (D-NM) issued the following statement on President Obama's State of the Union address: "The vitality of our economy is rooted in the middle-class. Tonight, President Obama presented a clear vision for growing the economy from the middle-class out through job creation in homegrown clean energy development, manufacturing and by rebuilding bridges and roads across the country. "We have a big task ahead to find common ground and pass a budget that reduces the def… Continue Reading
February 12, 2013
Udall: House’s Turn to Pass VAWA
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Tom Udall (D-NM) issued this statement following the Senate's passage of the Violence Against Women Act reauthorization by a vote of 78-22: "For 19 years, the Violence Against Women Act has helped protect women across the country from abuse. Today, the Senate voted to modernize the law and make sure more women - including those in Indian Country - can benefit from its protections. "Native women are 2 1/2 times more likely than others in the United States to be victims… Continue Reading
February 12, 2013
Senators Reintroduce Measure to Transfer Valles Caldera to the National Park Service
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich reintroduced legislation today to transfer the management of the Valles Caldera National Preserve to the National Park Service (NPS). Udall and retired Sen. Jeff Bingaman first introduced this legislation in 2010 in light of inconsistent funding, the need for infrastructure improvements and concerns that the Preserve would not achieve financial self-sustainability by 2015, as directed by the Valles Caldera Preservation Act of 2000. "Milli… Continue Reading
February 11, 2013
Udall Statement on Hagel Meeting
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Tom Udall (D-NM) today issued the following statement after a meeting with Secretary of Defense nominee, Sen. Chuck Hagel: "My meeting today with Senator Chuck Hagel was very useful. We had the opportunity to touch on a variety of issues facing our country and how New Mexico contributes to the strength of our national security. "Senator Hagel conveyed that if confirmed, he will be committed to keeping safe, reliable and secure nuclear deterrent. We also discussed the n… Continue Reading
February 11, 2013
Senators Seek US Attorney Applicants
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich are accepting applications for the position of United States Attorney for the District of New Mexico. On January 4, 2013, President Obama nominated current U.S. Attorney Kenneth Gonzales to a federal court judgeship. Upon Gonzales' confirmation by the Senate, the position of U.S. Attorney for the District of New Mexico will become vacant. In accordance with their constitutional responsibility to provide advice and consent with respect to f… Continue Reading
February 08, 2013
Lawmakers Request Strong New NNSA Administrator With Commitment to Reform
WASHINGTON - Members of the NM Congressional Delegation, Tom Udall, Martin Heinrich, Ben Ray Luján and Michelle Lujan Grisham, are asking President Obama to nominate a candidate to lead the Nuclear National Security Administration (NNSA) who will work with Congress to reform the agency and maintain the highest scientific and technical capabilities at Los Alamos and Sandia National Laboratories. In a letter to President Obama, the federal lawmakers who represent the two labs say, "The NNS… Continue Reading
February 07, 2013
Udall Urges Senate to Protect Native Women in Violence Against Women Act
WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senator Tom Udall today urged the Senate to pass the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) with tribal provisions to protect Native American women from domestic abuse. Since VAWA's passage, domestic violence has decreased by over 50 percent. Yet, 1 in 3 Native women will be sexually assaulted in her lifetime, and Native women are victims of domestic violence at a disproportionately higher rate. The VAWA provisions would help tribal courts prosecute … Continue Reading
February 07, 2013
Udall, Heinrich & Luján: Protect Río Grande del Norte
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Tom Udall, Martin Heinrich and Representative Ben Ray Luján, have reintroduced legislation in the Senate and House to protect the Río Grande del Norte in Northern New Mexico, an area comprised of more than 240,000 acres of BLM-managed lands in Taos and Rio Arriba Counties. Since 2009, the three lawmakers and former Sen. Jeff Bingaman have worked -- with the support of the local communities -- to pass legislation to designate the culturally and recreationally signifi… Continue Reading
February 06, 2013
Udall Statement on Nomination of Sally Jewell
WASHINGTON -- U.S. Senator Tom Udall (D-N.M.) issued the following statement after President Obama nominated Sally Jewell to serve as the Secretary of the U.S. Department of the Interior: "Sally Jewell is a unique and exciting pick to head up the Department of the Interior. If confirmed, she would bring to the position an array of skills from her business background in energy development and as the CEO of a wildly successful outdoor outfitter. "I look forward to meeting with her as she works … Continue Reading
February 05, 2013
Bipartisan Group of Senators Seeks Legal Justifications for the Deliberate Killing of Americans
Washington, D.C. - As the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence prepares to consider White House national security official John Brennan's nomination to be the next Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, U.S. Senators Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Mike Lee (R-Utah), Mark Udall (D-Colo.), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Dick Durbin (Ill.), Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Tom Udall (D-N.M.), Mark Begich (D-Alaska) and Al Franken (D- Minn.) have sent a letter to Presid… Continue Reading
February 04, 2013
Udall and Heinrich Request Funding For Cleanup Efforts At Los Alamos National Laboratory And WIPP
WASHINGTON, D.C. (Feb. 4, 2013) - U.S. Senators Martin Heinrich and Tom Udall sent a letter to President Obama today requesting that the administration include federal funding in the Department of Energy's Defense Environmental Cleanup 2014 budget for at least $255 million for cleanup at Los Alamos National Laboratory and $222 million to operate and maintain the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) in Carlsbad, New Mexico. - U.S. Senators Martin Heinrich and Tom Udall sent a letter to President Ob… Continue Reading
February 04, 2013
Senators & Reps Introduce Bipartisan Mining Cleanup Legislation
WASHINGTON - Today, Sens. Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich, with Reps. Steve Pearce and Ben Ray Luján, introduced legislation in the Senate and House to help state and tribal governments complete high-priority uranium mine cleanup projects. The Abandoned Mine Land (AML) fund was created as part of the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 (SMCRA) and requires fees to be paid on local coal production to fund state and tribal mine reclamation. Current law limits state and tribal use o… Continue Reading
