Press Releases
At Hearing, Udall Presses for Border Patrol Support, Increased Resources to Combat Drug Trafficking
WASHINGTON - Today, at a hearing of the Senate Appropriations subcommittee on defense, U.S. Senator Tom Udall urged the National Guard to maintain and enhance support for the U.S. Border Patrol's anti-drug trafficking activities in New Mexico. Udall told General Frank J. Grass, Chief of the National Guard Bureau, that he has serious concerns about the impacts of transnational drug trafficking in the Bootheel region, and he pressed for additional resources to increase border security. "The Boothe… Continue Reading
March 16, 2016
Udall Opposes Bill to Block GMO Labeling, Cosponsors Plan to Support Consumers' Right To Know
WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senator Tom Udall joined the Senate in defeating anti-consumer legislation designed to prevent states from setting clear rules regarding food labeling for genetically modified organisms (GMOs). The bill, which would ban states from requiring labels for genetically engineered ingredients in food, failed to get the required 60 votes to advance. Udall supports transparency and will continue to fight for laws that ensure New Mexicans and all Americans can readily learn wheth… Continue Reading
March 16, 2016
Udall Statement on Nomination of Merrick Garland to the U.S. Supreme Court
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Tom Udall issued the following statement on President Obama's decision to nominate Merrick Garland to fill the U.S. Supreme Court vacancy left by the passing of Justice Antonin Scalia: "Merrick Garland has an impressive record as a jurist. He was confirmed to the D.C. Circuit Court - one of the most important courts in the nation - with strong bipartisan support, and he has demonstrated a commitment to public service. I look forward to meeting with him and examining his… Continue Reading
March 16, 2016
Udall, Heinrich Announce $1.7 Million for NM Health Centers to Help Treat Prescription Opioid Abuse
WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senators Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich announced more than $1.7 million for five health centers and treatment providers in New Mexico to improve and expand the delivery of substance abuse services, with a particular focus on the treatment of opioid abuse in underserved communities. The grants, funded under the Affordable Care Act and administered by the Health and Human Services Health Resources and Services Administration, will help increase the number of patients scree… Continue Reading
March 15, 2016
Udall, Heinrich Announce $7.3 Million to Combat Homelessness in New Mexico
WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senators Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich announced more than $7.3 million for nonprofit providers and local governments in New Mexico to combat homelessness throughout the state. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) awarded the funding through the Continuum of Care Program, which supports efforts to quickly rehouse homeless individuals and families, minimize the trauma associated with losing a home, and help families become self-sufficient following t… Continue Reading
March 14, 2016
Udall, Heinrich Congratulate iBeam Materials on Partnership with Energy Department to Advance Clean Energy Economy
WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senators Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich announced that iBeam Materials, Inc. of Santa Fe has been selected to partner with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and Sandia National Laboratories to accelerate the transformation toward a clean energy economy. iBeam is one of 33 small businesses nationwide that will receive funding under the highly competitive Round 1 of DOE's new Small Business Vouchers (SBV) pilot. The award includes $225,000 for technical assistance to supp… Continue Reading
March 10, 2016
Udall at VA Budget Hearing: Improve Access to Care for Rural Veterans
WASHINGTON - Today at a hearing about the fiscal year 2017 budget for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), U.S. Senator Tom Udall continued his call for the VA to improve care for veterans living in rural New Mexico and rural communities across the country. Udall has championed the need to improve access to rural veterans' health care through expanded use of telehealth technology, increasing transportation options and by addressing high turnover among doctors and nurses at rural community… Continue Reading
March 10, 2016
Udall and Heinrich: Students Deserve Immediate Debt Relief After Attending Schools Engaged In Deceptive and Predatory Practices
"When colleges break the rules, student loan borrowers should not be left to dig themselves out from under a mountain of debt they cannot repay" WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Tom Udall, Martin Heinrich and 33 Senate Democrats sent a letter to President Obama urging his Administration to protect students who attended colleges or universities that engaged in unlawful, unfair, deceptive, and abusive practices. In 2015, Corinthian Colleges filed for bankruptcy and shut down all of its locations after f… Continue Reading
March 10, 2016
Udall Votes for Senate Bill to Fight Drug Abuse Epidemic, Urges Congress to Make Investments to Combat Addiction Head-On
WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senator Tom Udall voted in favor of the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA), a bipartisan bill he cosponsors to help tackle the drug abuse epidemic in New Mexico communities and across the nation. The bill passed 94-1 and now goes to the House of Representatives for consideration. Udall said that the legislation is a step forward, but Congress also needs to commit additional funding to address the drug abuse epidemic head-on. Last week, Senate Republicans blo… Continue Reading
March 09, 2016
Udall Fights for New Mexico Priorities in Energy Budget
WASHINGTON - At a hearing today on the president's fiscal year 2017 budget request for the U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Senator Tom Udall pressed Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz about contract changes at Sandia and Los Alamos national laboratories, and support for technology transfer to move innovations from the New Mexico's labs and universities into the marketplace to create jobs. He also questioned Moniz about the timeline for safely reopening the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) in Carlsb… Continue Reading
March 09, 2016
Udall Pushes to Strengthen Indian Health Service Facilities, Improve Care for Tribes in NM and Across Nation
WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senator Tom Udall, lead Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment and Related Agencies, discussed several steps to improve care at Indian Health Service (IHS) facilities in New Mexico and nationwide at a hearing on the agency's fiscal year 2017 budget. Udall focused on efforts to address alcohol and substance abuse. "Indian Country needs better access to clinical services. This is especially true for preventive care and also for mental h… Continue Reading
March 08, 2016
Udall Urges Congress to Take Action to Combat Drug Abuse Epidemic, Save Lives
WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senator Tom Udall spoke on the Senate floor about the need to tackle the drug abuse epidemic in New Mexico communities and across the nation. The Senate is currently debating the bipartisan Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA), a bill Udall cosponsors that would direct resources to prevent prescription opioid and heroin abuse, provide training and increased access to law enforcement officials for the lifesaving overdose-reversal drug naloxone, improve treatmen… Continue Reading
March 08, 2016
Udall Introduces CREATE Act to Support Arts Businesses, Jobs in the Creative Economy
WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senator Tom Udall introduced a measure to support the development of arts businesses, jobs and the growth of the creative economy in New Mexico and across the nation. The arts and cultural tourism industries are significant drivers of the economy in New Mexico and many other states, and Udall's bill would help artists, entrepreneurs, and workers employed in cultural education and tourism better access federal programs and resources to grow their businesses and share thei… Continue Reading
March 07, 2016
NM Delegation Urges EPA to Address Compensation Delays for Gold King Mine Spill Victims, Work with State to Monitor Water Quality
WASHINGTON - In a letter to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Gina McCarthy, U.S. Senators Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich and U.S. Representatives Steve Pearce, Ben Ray Luján and Michelle Lujan Grisham expressed concerns with delays in compensation for costs and damages in New Mexico caused by the EPA's Gold King Mine spill in Colorado six months ago. They urged the EPA to process reimbursement claims submitted by the state and the Navajo Nation and to set up an Office of… Continue Reading
March 04, 2016
Udall, Heinrich Announce $8.2 Million to Construct Rio Grande Water Project, Fund Watershed Assessment and Environmental Management
WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senators Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich announced that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is providing $7 million for construction of the Rio Grande Floodway project near Socorro, $1 million for watershed assessment in the Rio Grande Basin, and $200,000 to fund the Rio Grande Environmental Management Program for the first time. These projects will prevent flooding between San Acacia and the Bosque del Apache, study salinity management issues, and begin to develop a data-dri… Continue Reading
March 03, 2016
Udall Pushes for Vote on Ambassador to Mexico, Urges Senators to Fix Dysfunction
VIDEO OF PRESS CONFERENCE: https://youtu.be/N6vNoXH6Rvo WASHINGTON - Today, for the second time this year, U.S. Senator Tom Udall (D-N.M.), a member of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee and a longtime advocate for Senate reform, made an official request on the Senate floor for a vote on Roberta Jacobson's long-stalled nomination to serve as U.S. Ambassador to Mexico. Sen. Jim Risch (R-Idaho) objected on behalf of himself and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), meaning Udall's request was blo… Continue Reading
March 03, 2016
Udall Joins Senate Democrats, Congressional Black Caucus to Call on Senate Republicans to Do Their Job, Give Supreme Court Nominee Full and Fair Consideration
VIDEO - Udall's remarks begin at 5:24: http://www.c-span.org/video/?405973-1/house-senate-democrats-supreme-court-vacancy WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senator Tom Udall joined Senate Democrats and members of the Congressional Black Caucus to urge Senate Republicans to do their job, stop ignoring the Constitution, and commit to meet, hold hearings and vote on the president's U.S. Supreme Court nominee. The Senate Majority Leader has said that the Senate will not consider any nominee by President Obam… Continue Reading
March 02, 2016
Udall Raises Concerns about Gila River Diversion, Pushes for Funding for New Mexico Water Projects
WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senator Tom Udall raised concerns about a potential Gila River diversion project and pushed for continued funding for several water projects important to New Mexico communities at a hearing of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development. Udall has previously expressed skepticism over the high cost of a Gila River diversion project. He asked Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Estevan R. López for an update and assurances that any proposed… Continue Reading
March 02, 2016
Udall, Heinrich, Pearce: Keep German Air Force Presence at Holloman Air Force Base
WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senators Tom Udall, Martin Heinrich and U.S. Representative Steve Pearce sent a letter to President Obama urging him to advocate for a mutually beneficial arrangement that will allow the German Air Force, "Luftwaffe," to maintain a productive presence in the United States at Holloman Air Force Base. Due to increasing budget constraints, the Chief of Staff of the German Air Force has recommended consolidation of its two operational Tornado wings in Germany and to not rene… Continue Reading
March 02, 2016
Udall Fights for New Mexico Priorities in Interior Department Budget
WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senator Tom Udall, Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment and Related Agencies, helped lead a hearing on the president's Fiscal Year 2017 budget request for the U.S. Department of the Interior. Udall welcomed proposals for increased funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund and mandatory funding for the Payment in Lieu of Taxes program. He also pressed Interior Secretary Sally Jewell on several other issues important to N… Continue Reading
