Press Releases
Senators Demand Full Transparency on EPA’s Plans for Children’s Health Office
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Tom Udall (D-N.M.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), and Patty Murray (D-Wash.)wrote to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Acting Administrator Andrew Wheeler expressing their strong concern over the future of the EPA's Office of Children's Health Protection (OCHP) and the EPA's mission to safeguard the health of America's youth in light of recent reports. The letter follows EPA's unexplained placement of the OCHP Director, Dr. Ruth E… Continue Reading
October 04, 2018
VIDEO: Udall Speaks Against Kavanaugh Supreme Court Nomination on Senate Floor
Udall: "Women in New Mexico and around the country are watching" VIDEO: Udall Speaks Against Kavanaugh Supreme Court Nomination on Senate Floor WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senator Tom Udall spoke on the Senate floor against the nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court. Udall discussed his opposition to Kavanaugh, citing the troubling circumstances surrounding Kavanaugh's confirmation process, including the deeply disturbing allegations of sexual misconduct made ag… Continue Reading
October 04, 2018
VIDEO: Udall Addresses the Digital Divide in Indian Affairs Oversight Hearing on Tribal Broadband Access
VIDEO: Udall Addresses the Digital Divide in Indian Affairs Oversight Hearing on Tribal Broadband Access WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Tom Udall, vice chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, highlighted the need for improved data collection and tribal consultation to address the digital divide in an Indian Affairs oversight hearing entitled, "GAO Reports Relating to Broadband Internet Availability on Tribal Lands." The committee called the oversight hearing to review findings from tw… Continue Reading
October 04, 2018
Udall & Heinrich Vote for Opioids Package, Announce $15.5 Million To Combat Opioid Abuse in NM
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich joined the Senate in voting 98-1 to pass the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act to address the opioid epidemic through expanded access to proven addiction treatment options, and increased resources for prevention efforts. The House approved the legislation last week by a vote of 393 to 8 and the Senate's action sends the bill to the president's desk for signature. The bipartisan opioids package, which is largely similar to legisla… Continue Reading
October 03, 2018
Udall, Heinrich Conservation Bills Impacting N.M. Pass Energy And Natural Resources Committee
WASHINGTON - In a Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources markup yesterday, U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich worked to advance two long-standing and critical New Mexico conservation bills he joined U.S. Senator Tom Udall in introducing: the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks Conservation Act and the New Mexico Drought Preparedness Act. Both bills were passed on a voice vote. The Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks Conservation Act, S. 441, would further complete the vision of the diverse coalitions and… Continue Reading
October 03, 2018
Udall, Senate Democrats Introduce Native American Voting Rights Act
WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senator Tom Udall (D-N.M.), vice chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, along with U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Jon Tester (D-Mont.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), and Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) are introducing the Native American Voting Rights Act… Continue Reading
October 03, 2018
VIDEO: Udall Secures Commitment From Amtrak to Halt Plans to Replace Portions of SW Chief Rail Line with Buses in NM
VIDEO: Udall Secures Commitment From Amtrak to Halt Plans to Replace Portions of Southwest Chief Rail Line with Buses in NM WASHINGTON - Today, during a Senate Commerce Committee hearing, U.S. Senator Tom Udall (D-N.M.) secured a commitment from top Amtrak official and Chief Operating Officer Scot Naparstek to stop plans to turn a segment of the Southwest Chief rail line from Dodge City, Kansas to Albuquerque, New Mexico into a bus route during Fiscal Year 2019. Before this public commitment, t… Continue Reading
October 02, 2018
Udall, Heinrich, Harris Introduce Legislation to Establish Body-Worn Camera Programs at CBP, ICE
WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senators Tom Udall (D-N.M.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and Kamala D. Harris (D-Calif.) introduced the DHS Body-Worn Camera Act, which would require the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to establish pilot programs for body-worn cameras (BWC) at Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The legislation would also require DHS to report to Congress on these pilot programs, develop policies governing the use of BWC with public con… Continue Reading
October 02, 2018
Udall & Local Conservation Leaders Urge Congress to Reauthorize & Fund Land and Water Conservation Fund
On Sunday, Congress let LWCF expire, leaving vital recreation and protection projects in limbo WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senator Tom Udall (D-N.M.), top Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on the Interior, Environment and Related Agencies, and local conservation leaders held a press conference to urge Congress to act immediately to reauthorize and fully fund the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) after the program's authorization expired on Sunday, September 30, injecting … Continue Reading
October 02, 2018
Udall, Heinrich Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month with Senate Resolution
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Tom Udall (D-N.M.) and Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) have co-sponsored a bipartisan resolution to recognize Hispanic Heritage Month, which runs from Sept. 15-Oct. 15. The resolution celebrates the immense contributions that Hispanic and Latino Americans have made to the United States, honoring the many ways in which Hispanic and Latino heritage have shaped our country's economy, culture and history. Udall and Heinrich also co-sponsored a resolution designating the week of … Continue Reading
October 01, 2018
Udall Statement on Senate Passage of PROGRESS for Indian Tribes Act to Further Tribal Self-Determination
WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senator Tom Udall (D-N.M.), vice chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, released the following statement after the U.S. Senate passed the PROGRESS for Indian Tribes Act by voice vote last week. The bipartisan bill creates consistency and builds greater efficiency for Tribes that operate self-governance programs under authorities first authorized by the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act of 1975 (ISDEAA). "I'm proud to be an original cosp… Continue Reading
October 01, 2018
Udall Statement on NAFTA Update
WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senator Tom Udall (D-N.M.) released the following statement on the announcement of an update to the North American Free Trade Agreement between the United States, Mexico, and Canada: "This new announcement caps nearly two years of needless uncertainty and unhelpful rhetoric on NAFTA from the Trump administration, which has been an obstacle for investment and job growth in our state. Any significant change to NAFTA must be approved by Congress, and I will be reviewing th… Continue Reading
September 28, 2018
Udall, Heinrich To HHS And DHS Secretaries: Family Detention Is Morally Wrong, Harmful To Children and Parents, Inconsistent With Fundamental American Values
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Tom Udall (D-N.M.) and Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) along with a number of Democratic Senators sent a letter to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar and U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen imploring them to rescind the proposed regulation to allow the Trump Administration to facilitate the indefinite detention of children in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facilities and avoid complying with the … Continue Reading
September 27, 2018
Udall Statement on Senate Hearing with Dr. Christine Blasey Ford and Judge Brett Kavanaugh
WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senator Tom Udall (D-N.M.) released the following statement after the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary held a hearing with Dr. Christine Blasey Ford and Judge Brett Kavanaugh, President Trump's nominee for the Supreme Court: "Dr. Ford showed tremendous courage and credibility as she told her story, under oath, to the United States Senate and to so many Americans watching around the country. I have said throughout this process that we must treat Dr. Ford with the r… Continue Reading
September 26, 2018
Senators Introduce Bill to Prevent Unconstitutional War with Iran
WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senator Tom Udall (D-N.M.), along with U.S. Senators Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Richard Durbin (D-Ill.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), and Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), introduced 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 2018 ma… Continue Reading
September 26, 2018
Udall Fights to Protect Children’s Privacy Rights
Udall holds tech companies accountable for failing to ensure compliance with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act, calls for children's privacy hearing WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Tom Udall (D-N.M.) questioned top executives from various technology and telecommunications firms, including Google, Twitter, Apple, Amazon, AT&T and Charter, about whether they are taking the appropriate steps to protect data privacy rights for consumers in New Mexico and across America. In a Senate Comme… Continue Reading
September 25, 2018
Udall, Heinrich, Luján Announce Over $1 Million to NTU for Metrology and Materials Center to Boost Workforce Development
WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senators Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich and U.S. Representative Ben Ray Luján announced that the U.S. Department of Commerce's Economic Development Administration (EDA) has awarded $1,000,300 to Navajo Technical University (NTU) in Crownpoint, New Mexico to build a Metrology and Materials Center (MMTC). The MMTC will offer training for displaced energy sector workers to develop competitive skills for emerging industries including 3D metal printing, machining, rob… Continue Reading
September 24, 2018
Udall, Heinrich, Luján Announce $400,000 in Rural Opioid Grants for Rio Arriba County
WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senators Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich and U.S. Representative Ben Ray Luján announced that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has awarded two grants totaling $400,000 to combat the opioid epidemic in Rio Arriba County, N.M. The County of Rio Arriba and El Centro Family Health each received $200,000 in grants through the Rural Communities Opioid Response Program administered by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), to support the… Continue Reading
September 24, 2018
Udall, Heinrich, Luján Announce $2.1 Million For N.M. Pueblos To Protect Clean Air And Water
WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senators Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich and U.S. Representative Ben Ray Luján announced $2.1 million in grants from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to New Mexico Pueblos to protect clean water and support environmental cleanup projects. "These grants will benefit New Mexico Pueblos by supporting efforts to address environmental hazards, reduce exposure to dangerous chemicals and prevent pollution," said Udall. "Everyone deserves access to a healthy … Continue Reading
September 21, 2018
Udall, Heinrich, Lujan Grisham Announce $20 Million from NSF for NM SMART Grid Center at UNM
WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senators Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich and U.S. Representative Michelle Lujan Grisham announced that the University of New Mexico (UNM) was awarded a $20 million, five-year grant by the National Science Foundation (NSF) to create the New Mexico SMART (Sustainable, Modular, Adaptive, Resilient and Transactive) Grid Center, an interdisciplinary research and education program to help support development of a modern electric grid. The center will coalesce ongoing independent… Continue Reading
