Press Releases
Udall, Heinrich, Luján, Haaland, Torres Small Introduce Legislation to Protect Chaco Canyon Area
WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senators Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich and U.S. Representatives Ben Ray Luján, Deb Haaland, and Xochitl Torres Small introduced the Chaco Cultural Heritage Area Protection Act, S. 1079, a bill to withdraw the federal lands around Chaco Culture from further mineral development. The bill, alongside anticipated actions from State Land Commissioner Stephanie Garcia Richard, would help ensure the protection of Chaco ruins and the greater landscape surrounding the Chaco… Continue Reading
April 08, 2019
Udall Opens Application Process for Military Service Academy Nominations
WASHINGTON -- Today, U.S. Senator Tom Udall announced that he has begun accepting applications for nominations to U.S. military service academies. Throughout April and May, members of Udall's staff will host information sessions across the state for high school students and recent graduates who are interested in applying to enter an academy in the fall of 2020. The first session will be held on April 11 in Farmington. Four of the five service academies - the U.S. Military Academy (West Point), … Continue Reading
April 08, 2019
Udall, Democratic Colleagues to JUUL: You Are More Interested in Profits Than Public Health
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Tom Udall, along with 10 Senate Democrats, questioned JUUL CEO Kevin Burns about the company's partnership with Big Tobacco giant Altria, and requested information about its marketing tactics to children as youth e-cigarette use soars to epidemic levels in large part due to kid-appealing flavors and easy to conceal devices. Federal public health agencies have identified JUUL as being largely responsible for fueling this epidemic among America's youth and evidence has em… Continue Reading
April 05, 2019
Udall, Heinrich, Luján, Haaland Announce More Than $114 Million to Indian Health Service for 3 New Mexico Facilities
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Tom Udall, ranking member of the Senate Interior Appropriations Subcommittee and vice chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, and Martin Heinrich, along with U.S. Representatives Ben Ray Luján and Deb Haaland, announced that the Indian Health Service (IHS) allocated $114.2 million in funding to continue planning and construction for three key New Mexico facilities. The award will enable IHS to move forward with critical projects at three facilities, … Continue Reading
April 04, 2019
Udall, Durbin, Paul Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Prevent Unconstitutional War with Iran
WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senators Tom Udall (D-N.M.), Richard J. Durbin (D-Ill.), and Rand Paul (R-Ky.), all members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, reintroduced bipartisan legislation to prohibit the United States from expending funds which could lead to war with Iran without express approval from Congress, as required by the Constitution. The Prevention of Unconstitutional War with Iran Act of 2019 underscores that Article 1, Section 8 of the Constitution of the United States grants… Continue Reading
April 04, 2019
Udall Urges Action to Improve the Condition and Safety of Indian Roads
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Tom Udall (D-N.M), vice chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, led an oversight hearing on "Tribal Transportation: Enhancing Tribal Self-Governance and Safety of Indian Roads." The committee heard from the Department of Transportation's (DOT) Federal Lands Highway Administration, the Bureau of Indian Affairs' (BIA) Division of Transportation, Ohkay Owingeh Head Councilman Joe Garcia, and Gila River Indian Community Governor Stephen Roe Lewis. "As Congress… Continue Reading
April 03, 2019
Udall Questions Wheeler on Crippling Budget Cuts in Hearing to Review EPA’s Fiscal Year 2020 Budget Request
"This administration has abandoned all efforts to fight climate change, and you've personally doubled down on that by denying climate change is even a major crisis." "Proposing cuts of this terrible degree show us in clear print what this administration is about: industry comes before public health and environmental protection." WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senator Tom Udall (D-N.M.), the ranking member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies, ques… Continue Reading
April 03, 2019
VIDEO: Udall Presses EPA Administrator on PFAS Contamination in New Mexico
LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_tLFry4rAI&feature=youtu.be WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senator Tom Udall (D-N.M.), the ranking member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies, pressed Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Andrew Wheeler about the agency's role in cleaning up PFAS contamination in New Mexico during a hearing to examine the EPA's Fiscal Year 2020 budget request. Udall demanded that EPA do more to assist New M… Continue Reading
April 03, 2019
Udall Statement on Senate Republicans’ Rules Changes
WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senator Tom Udall (D-N.M.), a member of the Senate Rules Committee, issued the following statement on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell leading Senate Republicans in invoking the "nuclear option" to change Senate rules on executive and judicial nominations: "After denying Merrick Garland a hearing for nearly a year, and after obstructing President Obama's nominees in record and destructive fashion during his two terms in office, Leader McConnell and Senate Republi… Continue Reading
April 03, 2019
Udall Opening Statement at Hearing to Examine EPA’s Fiscal Year 2020 Budget Request
WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senator Tom Udall (D-N.M.), the ranking member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies, delivered the following opening statement at an Appropriations Committee hearing with Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Andrew Wheeler to examine the EPA's fiscal year 2020 budget request: Administrator Wheeler, welcome to your first Appropriations hearing as EPA Administrator. It sure is a different day from when w… Continue Reading
April 02, 2019
Udall, Senate Indian Affairs Committee Democrats: Trump Administration’s Attempts to Dismantle Affordable Care Act Threaten American Indian and Alaska Native Health
WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senators Tom Udall (D-N.M.), vice chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Jon Tester (D-Mont.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), and Tina Smith (D-Minn.), all members of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, denounced the Trump Department of Justice's (DOJ) decision to support the full dismantling of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in Texas v. United States, which threatens the health care of American Indian… Continue Reading
April 02, 2019
Udall, Heinrich Slam President Trump’s Threat to Close the Border
WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senators Tom Udall (D-N.M.) and Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) responded to President Trump's continued threats that he will close the entire southern border, jeopardizing New Mexico's economy and thriving trade and cultural relationship with Mexico. Today, President Trump acknowledged that his reckless proposal would hurt the nation's economy. Udall and Heinrich issued the following joint statement: "President Trump is not a dictator who can unilaterally close the border to … Continue Reading
April 02, 2019
Udall, Heinrich Introduce Colorado River Basin Drought Contingency Plan Bill
WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senators Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich, along with every Colorado River Basin senator, introduced the Colorado River Drought Contingency Plan Authorization Act. The bipartisan, bicameral legislation was developed to ensure the wide-reaching Drought Contingency Plan (DCP) forged between the seven Colorado River Basin states and Indian tribes can be implemented while fully respecting important environmental protections in the process. "In New Mexico, we live by the sa… Continue Reading
April 02, 2019
Udall Introduces National Public Health Week Resolution
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Tom Udall (D-N.M.) introduced a resolution in Congress to designate this week, April 1st through 7th, as National Public Health Week, as a part of his efforts to continue working toward a healthier New Mexico and healthier America. A similar resolution was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-Calif.). "National Public Health Week is a time to reflect on the hard work we have done to create healthier communities and to recog… Continue Reading
April 01, 2019
Udall, Heinrich File RAIDER Act Amendment to Block Trump Administration from Raiding Disaster, Military Funds for Wall
Action comes as Trump administration plans to raid military personnel funding to build 46 miles of border wall in NM WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich filed amendments to the pending disaster supplemental appropriations bill, including one to block the Trump administration from raiding disaster relief, military, or any other appropriated funds for the purposes of building the president's border wall without authorization from Congress. The first amendment would block t… Continue Reading
April 01, 2019
Udall, Heinrich Reintroduce Bipartisan Legislation to Expand RECA to include Tularosa Downwinders, Post-1971 Uranium Workers
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich reintroduced the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act Amendments of 2019. The legislation would expand coverage of the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA) to cover victims in New Mexico including the Tularosa Downwinders and Post-1971 Uranium Workers, Idaho, Colorado, Montana, Nevada, Utah and Guam. "Justice is long, long overdue for the New Mexico families and Tribal members who are victims of radiation exposure as a result of t… Continue Reading
March 28, 2019
As NM Prepares for Wildfire Season, Udall, Heinrich, & Colleagues Urge Trump Administration to Reverse Proposed Cuts to Wildfire Prevention, Firefighting Budget
WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senators Tom Udall (D-N.M.), ranking member on the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies, and U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, joined seven Western Senate colleagues in urging the Trump administration to reverse proposed funding cuts to critical wildfire prevention and forest restoration projects throughout the country. The administration's recently releas… Continue Reading
March 28, 2019
VIDEO: Udall Presses FDA Commissioner to Enact Strong Protections to Address Epidemic of Youth E-Cigarette Use
WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senator Tom Udall (D-N.M.) questioned U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)Commissioner Scott Gottlieb on the alarming national increase of high school students using e-cigarettes and pressed the commissioner to take meaningful action to address the epidemic. "I am pleased that this budget gives additional funding to help evaluate e-cigarettes - but I remain deeply concerned about the skyrocketing use of e-cigarettes by our nation's youth. CDC survey data showed an as… Continue Reading
March 28, 2019
Udall, Senators Introduce Bill to Ban Toxic Pesticide Chlorpyrifos
Bill marks the second anniversary of former EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt's decision to deny a petition to ban chlorpyrifos EPA under Pruitt and Wheeler has refused to act despite overwhelming scientific evidence that chlorpyrifos is dangerous to public health while Interior under Bernhardt reportedly blocked report finding chlorpyrifos so toxic it presents an existential threat to over 1,200 endangered species WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senator Tom Udall (D-N.M.), along with U.S. Senators… Continue Reading
March 27, 2019
Udall, Heinrich Push Back Against Trump Administration Plan to Construct New Border Wall South of Deming, New Mexico
WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senators Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich released the following statement in response to U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Kevin McAleenan holding a press conference at the border in El Paso, TX: "The Trump administration's decision to visit the border today is part of its campaign to deceive the American people that there is a national security crisis at the El Paso and New Mexico border. To be clear, the only crisis is a humanitarian one of the administrat… Continue Reading
