Press Releases
Udall Holds Pruitt Accountable on Multiple Ethics Violations At Senate Hearing
Pruitt contradicted documents on condo deal, unauthorized use of sirens on government vehicle, and admitted he didn't pay a subordinate who went apartment hunting for him -- a likely violation of federal law WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senator Tom Udall, the ranking member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies, publicly held Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Scott Pruitt to account about the many and well-documented ethical viola… Continue Reading
May 16, 2018
Udall Votes to Preserve Net Neutrality, Save The Internet
May 15, 2018
Udall, Heinrich, Luján Call for NM Counties to be Prioritized in Federal Funding to Fight the Opioid Epidemic
WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senators Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich and U.S. Representative Ben Ray Luján urged the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to include New Mexico counties in the list of rural counties that will be prioritized for federal funding to fight the opioid epidemic. HRSA will soon award grants as part of a new Rural Communities Opioids Response Planning Initiative focused on counties considered "at risk" based on the Centers for Disease Control and Preven… Continue Reading
May 15, 2018
VIDEO: Udall Urges Support for White Sands Missile Range at Appropriations Hearing on FY2019 Funding for the U.S. Army
VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0housmrMRGQ&feature=youtu.be WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senator Tom Udall highlighted the critical role that White Sands Missile Range (WSMR) plays in national security during a hearing of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense. Udall pressed Secretary of the Army Mark T. Esper for resources and funding for additional projects at WSMR and to consider WSMR as a basing location for a Security Force Assistance Brigade (SFAB). "White Sands Missil… Continue Reading
May 11, 2018
Top Dems: Pruitt Still Isn’t Complying With Federal Spending Laws
WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senators Tom Udall (D-N.M.) and Tom Carper (D-Del.) and U.S. Representatives Betty McCollum (D-Minn.) and Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.) said that Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Scott Pruitt is still failing to comply with federal spending laws, weeks after the Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that the EPA violated the law by purchasing a $43,000 phone both for Pruitt's office and hiding the purchase from Congress. The lawmakers wrote that the EP… Continue Reading
May 11, 2018
Udall, Heinrich Announce Nearly $1 Million in Funding for New Mexico Arts Programs from the National Endowment for the Arts
WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senators Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich announced a total of $959,500 in grants from the National Endowment of the Arts (NEA) for arts programs throughout New Mexico. The grants will fund 11 music, theater, and visual arts projects across the state. "New Mexico is home to over 4,300 arts-related businesses that employ over 15,600 people, and with more artists per capita than any other state, New Mexico stands as one of the most vibrant artistic communities in the nation.… Continue Reading
May 11, 2018
Udall Calls on Senate to Reject Gina Haspel’s Nomination to Serve as CIA Director
WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senator Tom Udall called on the Senate to reject Gina Haspel's nomination to serve as CIA Director due to her involvement with the CIA's unlawful "enhanced interrogation" program: "The CIA's torture of detainees in U.S. custody was a stain on our history and our standing in the world. While Acting Director Haspel's qualifications and expertise are evident, her oversight of the CIA's now outlawed torture program, and refusal to fully repudiate it, should be disqualifying… Continue Reading
May 11, 2018
VIDEO: Udall Secures Commitment from Zinke to Improve Public Input Process for Leasing Public Land
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Tom Udall, the lead Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee that oversees funding for the Department of the Interior (DOI), secured a commitment from DOI Secretary Ryan Zinke to improve public input while considering lease sales on public land, after the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) updated its guidelines to severely limit public input. Questioning Zinke about BLM's new guidelines for considering lease sales on public lands Udall said, "In January, BLM is… Continue Reading
May 10, 2018
Udall, Heinrich, Luján, Lujan Grisham Statement On NNSA's Announcement On Pit Production
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Tom Udall (D-N.M.) and Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and U.S. Representatives Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) and Michelle Lujan Grisham (D-N.M.) released the following statement in response to the National Nuclear Security Administration's (NNSA) recommended alternative for recapitalization of plutonium pit production announced today: "While we are pleased that Los Alamos National Laboratory will remain the Research & Development Plutonium Center of Excellence and will … Continue Reading
May 10, 2018
VIDEO: Udall Questions Zinke on Inadequate Interior Budget, Reorganization Proposals, Attacks on Public Lands
VIDEO: https://www.appropriations.senate.gov/hearings/hearing-to-review-the-fy2019-budget-request-for-the-us-department-of-interior WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senator Tom Udall, the lead Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee that oversees funding for the Department of the Interior (DOI), pressed DOI Secretary Ryan Zinke about the department's inadequate fiscal year 2019 budget request, serious management concerns under Zinke's watch, the administration's continued attacks on America'… Continue Reading
May 10, 2018
Udall, Heinrich Announce Funding to Rebuild Laguna BIE Elementary School
WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senator Tom Udall, vice chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs and lead Democrat on the Appropriations Subcommittee that funds the Bureau of Indian Education (BIE), and Senator Martin Heinrich announced funding has been granted to Laguna Pueblo to rebuild their elementary school. After many years of fighting for funding to rebuild the school, the tribe was finally awarded the design-build contract and funding to soon begin breaking ground on a new school. "T… Continue Reading
May 09, 2018
VIDEO: Udall Presses Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs Nominee on Commitment to Upholding the Federal Government’s Tribal Trust and Treaty Responsibility
VIDEO: https://www.indian.senate.gov/hearing/nomination-tara-mac-lean-sweeney-alaska-be-assistant-secretary-indian-affairs-us-department WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senator Tom Udall, vice chairman of Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, questioned Tara Sweeney, nominee to serve as the Department of Interior's Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs. If confirmed, Sweeney would lead the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Bureau of Indian Education, and numerous other offices responsible for ensuring the … Continue Reading
May 09, 2018
Udall, Hoeven Introduce Legislation to Support Native Farmers, Ranchers, and Communities
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Tom Udall (D-N.M.) and John Hoeven (R-N.D.), vice chairman and chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, respectively, this week introduced bipartisan legislation to support tribal self-governance, agricultural production in Indian Country, and enhanced agribusiness and rural development opportunities for Native American farmers, ranchers, and communities. The Cultivating Resources, Opportunity, Prosperity and Sustainability (CROPS) for Indian Country Act (S.… Continue Reading
May 09, 2018
Udall, Heinrich, Pearce Welcome USPS Efforts To Maintain Postal Service In Pie Town, N.M.
WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senators Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich and U.S. Representative Steve Pearce wrote to Postmaster General Megan Brennan to thank the United States Postal Service (USPS) for taking the necessary steps to ensure continued mail service in Pie Town, N.M. after announcing last month that operations at the Pie Town Post Office will be temporarily suspended due to the condition of the building. "Thank you for responding to the concerns of the community and our offices by install… Continue Reading
May 08, 2018
Udall Statement on Trump Iran Deal Withdrawal
WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senator Tom Udall, member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, released the following statement after President Trump announced that he would unilaterally withdraw the United States from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). "President Trump's decision to withdraw from the Iran deal is a dangerous mistake that will do grave damage to our global standing and our efforts to stop a nuclear Iran. The president calls himself a dealmaker - but on one of the mo… Continue Reading
May 02, 2018
Udall, Heinrich, Pearce Recommend Candidates to Fill Two Vacancies on US District Court
WASHINGTON - On Nov. 30, 2017, the Honorable Robert C. Brack announced his intention to assume senior status after 15 years of distinguished service on the federal bench. Judge Brack's announcement, effective July 25, 2018, will create a vacancy in Las Cruces, N.M., for a U.S. District Judge for the District of New Mexico. On December 26, 2017, the Honorable Christina Armijo announced her intention to assume senior status after 16 years of distinguished service on the federal bench, including o… Continue Reading
April 27, 2018
Bipartisan Group of Senators Demand Explanation for CMS’ Views Related to Unique Legal Status of Tribes
WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senator Tom Udall, vice chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, led a bipartisan group of 10 senators in expressing growing concern that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) expressed views that challenge the unique legal status and well established protections given to Indian tribes. In addition to Udall, the letter is signed by U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.), Maria Cantwell (D… Continue Reading
April 26, 2018
Senators to Zinke: Press Pause on Bears Ears & Grand Staircase Management Plans Until Courts Speak
WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senator Tom Udall led a group of 16 senators in calling on U.S. Department of Interior (DOI) Secretary Ryan Zinke to halt the development of management plans for Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments until legal challenges related to President Trump's illegal attempt to shrink these monuments have been resolved. The senators also expressed their deep concern that the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) does not intend to consider the millions of public … Continue Reading
April 26, 2018
VIDEO: Udall Urges Support for NM Military Bases at Appropriations Hearing on Military Construction Funding for FY2019
VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w8kGD-seEqM&feature=youtu.be WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senator Tom Udall highlighted the critical role that New Mexico's military bases play in national security, and urged support for funding and resources for military construction projects at New Mexico's Air Force bases and White Sands Missile Range during a hearing of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies. Udall questioned Assistant … Continue Reading
April 25, 2018
Udall Fights to Protect Kids from E-Cigarettes
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Tom Udall, a member of the Senate Appropriations subcommittee that oversees the budget for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), is taking action to protect kids from the potential dangers of e-cigarettes, which remain largely unregulated and are marketed in ways that are appealing to young people. Yesterday, the FDA announced new enforcement actions to combat the use of and access to e-cigarettes - like those sold by JUUL Labs, Inc. - among young people. The FDA's a… Continue Reading
