Jump to content
Join the Unexplained Mysteries community today! It's free and setting up an account only takes a moment.
- Sign In or Create Account -

Letters from Martin Heinrich


Desertrat56

Recommended Posts

image.png.ebf87fc7f1e05c155cf3470bcc7647ed.png

 

Dear Friend,

When I talk to people about what makes New Mexico unique, it always comes back to our breathtaking landscapes, our deep and complex history, and our rich cultures. Bandelier National Monument encapsulates each of these in unrivaled ways.

That's why I am so proud to work with communities in northern New Mexico to introduce legislation to make Bandelier our nation's newest national park. This legislation has garnered widespread support from local communities throughout northern New Mexico and tribes across Indian Country.

I announced the Bandelier National Park and Preserve Act yesterday, and was honored to have Santa Clara Pueblo Governor Michael Chavarria share his views on the legislation during a teleconference. I hope you can take a moment to listen to our comments on KSWV - Suave Radio.

mail?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.heinrich.sena

PHOTO: Alcove House in Frijoles Canyon in Bandelier National Monument.

Bandelier's mesas and canyons have human history that dates back more than 10,000 years. The ancestral sites in Bandelier continue to hold deep cultural and religious significance to the pueblos. Creating this new national park is the best way to ensure Bandelier's cultural treasures and northern New Mexico's history and natural beauty receive the recognition and protection they have long deserved.

Only Congress can create a national park and provide the highest level of protection for cultural resources, and Congress can ensure that a current or future president can't undo those protections. Many of our best-known national parks, like the Grand Canyon and Carlsbad Caverns, started as national monuments and were later upgraded to national park status by Congress. I believe it's long past time that we recognize that Bandelier's historical and natural resources are more than worthy of this same treatment.

I encourage you to write to me about this and other issues important to you and your family.

Sincerely,

Signature

MARTIN HEINRICH
United States Senator

  • Like 2
  • Thanks 5
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 weeks later...

Dear Friend,

Last year, the U.S. Air Force confirmed that firefighting foam containing toxic PFAS chemicals used around Cannon and Holloman Air Force Bases in New Mexico had contaminated nearby groundwater supplies. Recent scientific studies link PFAS chemicals to a number of serious adverse health effects. The contamination at Cannon affected several nearby agricultural wells, creating major disruptions for local dairy farmers. One dairy producer had to lay off 40 employees and quarantine 4,000 cows.

It's clear that we cannot wait to clean up this toxic mess and protect the health and safety of impacted communities and businesses. I strongly believe that the federal government has a responsibility to clean up after itself and an obligation to protect the health of military communities like Clovis.

That's why, as a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, I fought hard to include amendments to this year's national defense bill--which the Senate just passed--to require the Department of Defense to remedy contaminated sites like those at Cannon Air Force Base, provide clean water to local farms, and compensate affected landowners.

These PFAS provisions came on top of other major gains I've fought hard to include for our men and women in uniform. The defense bill supports the national security missions and infrastructure investments at all of New Mexico's military bases, national defense labs, and test ranges. When I work on this legislation every year, I strive to make sure our missions are well funded and aimed at having an enduring presence in New Mexico to help meet the national security needs of the future.

I am firmly committed to ensuring that our military has the tools and resources it needs to keep our nation safe. I encourage you to write to me about this and other issues important to you and your community.

Sincerely,

Signature

MARTIN HEINRICH
United States Senator

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Before the end of the year, I wanted to wish you and your family a happy holiday season and share some of the progress we have made for New Mexico. I have traveled to all corners of the state, and it has truly been a pleasure to meet with so many New Mexicans in their communities and discuss the issues that matter most. Below is a photo album of 100 highlights from 2019.

mail?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.heinrich.sena

As your senator, I am working on your side to make great strides for our state every single day. Despite a difficult political climate in Washington, I have remained focused on fighting for our national labs and military bases, investing in education and infrastructure, growing our clean energy economy, defending our public lands, making college more affordable, expanding access to broadband internet in rural and tribal communities, and establishing the nation's newest national park to New Mexico. 

My office also helps constituents on a one-on-one basis when they are having trouble with federal agencies, including keeping our promise to our veterans and servicemembers. This year my staff held Mobile Office Hours events in local communities throughout the state and processed over 1,100 individual cases that resulted in over $1.2 million recovered for New Mexicans. If you or your family needs help, I encourage you to reach out to my office nearest to you.

I will continue to fight every day to make a difference for you, and focus on what matters to all of us. Please stay in touch with me as we work together to create a better future for New Mexico. From my family to yours, Happy New Year!

Sincerely,

Signature

MARTIN HEINRICH
United States Senator

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Dear Friend,

We owe our men and women in uniform, and their families who support them in their service, an incredible debt of gratitude. In return for their sacrifices in defense of our nation, they expect and deserve the benefits they have earned.

As a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, I play a leading role each year in authoring the national defense bill. The bill we passed into law at the end of last year included major funding and support for the national security missions at New Mexico's national labs and military installations. I wanted to let you know about two provisions I championed in the defense bill that will support military families.

I find it deeply disturbing that in New Mexico, and around the world, our men and women in uniform and their families have lived in substandard housing living conditions. Often, these service members and their families live in privatized, on-base housing that is managed by for-profit companies. That's why I fought hard to include major reforms to fix the military housing crisis in the defense bill. The new law establishes a uniform code of basic military housing standards and requires inspections to ensure compliance. This is a critical step in addressing the problems we've seen and ensuring our service members and their families live in the healthy dwellings they deserve.

I also joined the bipartisan effort to finally end the so-called "widow's tax," which for decades required that surviving spouses of deceased military members forfeit part or all of their Department of Defense Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) annuity when they receive Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) from the Department of Veterans Affairs. More than 60,000 surviving Gold Star families are negatively impacted by the Widow's Tax, which reduced surviving spouses' benefits by an average of $924 per month, or $11,000 annually. Under the new law, widows and widowers of a deceased active-duty service member or retiree who died of a service-related cause will receive full annuity payments.

I am committed to assisting veterans and their families access their care and benefits. My office has helped hundreds of veterans all across New Mexico. Whether you or a family member is having trouble filing a claim, receiving benefits, accessing health benefits or military records, replacing medals, or with other veterans issues, my office is here to help. Please contact my office by calling (505) 346-6601 or visit the Veterans Resources Center on my website.

I will never stop fighting to do right for those who have served in our military and those who continue to serve our great nation.

Sincerely,

Signature

MARTIN HEINRICH
United States Senator

  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 weeks later...

Dear Friend,

Cerro de la Olla towers over the Taos Plateau and the Rio Grande del Norte National Monument. Much like Ute Mountain--which Congress protected as wilderness last year--Cerro de la Olla is a shield volcano with upper elevations that offer solitude and unparalleled views of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains to the East, the San Juan Mountains to the West, and the Rio Grande Gorge down below.

mail?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.heinrich.sena

PHOTO: Senator Martin Heinrich visits Cerro de la Olla in the Rio Grande del Norte National Monument, 2019.

For hundreds of years, people of the Taos area have hunted, gathered herbs, and collected firewood on the flanks of Cerro de la Olla. The area is an important wildlife corridor between the Sangre de Cristos and San Juans and security habitat for species such as elk, mule deer, black bears, and mountain lions.

Cerro de la Olla is exactly the type of landscape we all recognize should protected as wilderness. That's why I am so excited to introduce legislation to designate Cerro de la Olla as a new wilderness area. Protecting this outdoor treasure as wilderness is the best way to safeguard its invaluable resources for future generations.

This community-driven legislation is one more example of how, despite all the political chaos in Washington, I am still committed to bringing New Mexicans together to find common ground to protect the public lands we all cherish. I hope this bill will follow the example set by last year's historic public lands law that designated 13 new wilderness areas in New Mexico--including the Cerro del Yuta and Rio San Antonio Wildernesses in the Rio Grande del Norte.

I remain focused on delivering results for our state and making a real difference in the lives of all New Mexicans. Please stay in touch with me about important issues and contact my office if I can ever be of assistance to you and your family.

Sincerely,

Signature

MARTIN HEINRICH
United States Senator

https://www.heinrich.senate.gov

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

11 hours ago, hatecraft said:

TLDR

Please use your words.  Those letters to stand for all kinds of things and you can't assume all of us use the same acronyms or even use acronyms.  What is it you want to say? 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Dear Friend,

Retired Army 1st Sgt. Jim Rogers served 27 years in the military, including in the Vietnam War, where he was exposed to Agent Orange. Rogers suffers from hyperthyroidism and hypertension, health conditions linked to Agent Orange exposure, but not currently recognized as service-connected illnesses by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). 

Hundreds of thousands of veterans suffer from diseases linked to Agent Orange exposure, but many aren't receiving the care they need. In 2017, then-VA Secretary David Shulkin moved to add bladder cancer, Parkinson's-like symptoms, and hypothyroidism to the list of Agent Orange-related conditions eligible for benefits, but the Trump administration's Office of Management and Budget reportedly rejected this recommendation over cost. 

My office has worked with several veterans like Rogers who continue to live with the effects of their exposure to Agent Orange. His story was featured on KOB

The Trump administration's callous efforts to deny these veterans the care they need are outrageous. I've been leading the effort in New Mexico to secure critical benefits for Vietnam Veterans suffering from health conditions associated with their exposure to Agent Orange. And I have called on the Trump administration to stop denying scientific evidence and expand the VA's list of medical conditions associated with exposure to Agent Orange. 

As your United States Senator, I am committed to keeping America's promise to all our veterans so that when our troops return home, they receive the health care and benefits they have earned. If you or a family member is having trouble filing a claim, receiving benefits, accessing health benefits or military records, replacing medals, or other veterans issues, you can contact my office by calling (505) 346-6601 or visit the Veterans Resources Center on my website for assistance. 

Sincerely,

Signature

MARTIN HEINRICH
United States Senator

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 2/8/2020 at 10:58 PM, hatecraft said:

TLDR

Your loss.

  • Confused 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

Dear Friend,

I just voted to pass an emergency funding package that provides our federal public health agencies with the resources they need to lead an all-hands-on-deck, science-based response to the coronavirus outbreak. I am also continuing to work with the state and our tribes to ensure our public health infrastructure in New Mexico is ready for the road ahead and have the resources to prepare and respond to any potential outbreaks.

I encourage every New Mexican to stay informed about the virus and how to keep yourself and your family healthy. To help provide some of that information, I recently launched a Coronavirus Resource Center on my website, to help you stay informed about the coronavirus and what you can do to protect yourself from it and other illnesses. I want to ensure you have accurate, science-based information.

mail?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.heinrich.sena

While there are currently no confirmed cases of coronavirus in New Mexico, the New Mexico Department of Health urges you to protect yourself by avoiding all non-essential travel to China and following good hygiene practices to stop the spread of germs, similar to preventing the flu. This includes washing your hands regularly, as well as coughing and sneezing into a sleeve or tissue.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

March 22, 2020

Dear Friend,

This has been one of the most unsettling times any of us will ever experience. I wanted to check in and update you on my ongoing efforts to secure critical medical resources and immediate economic relief for New Mexicans whose lives have been upended by the coronavirus pandemic.

I am tremendously proud of Governor Lujan Grisham and her administration for enacting proactive measures in our state. I urge New Mexicans to continue following their lifesaving public health guidance.

I am grateful to all of the health care workers and many others who are on the frontlines of keeping our families safe and healthy during such a trying time. I have been working to secure the resources and equipment they need for an effective and robust COVID-19 response. That started with the first $8 billion emergency funding package Congress passed earlier this month that delivered $6 million directly to those working on New Mexico's public health response.

I'm in direct contact with Vice President Mike Pence, FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn, and Ambassador Debbie Birx to increase testing capacity in New Mexico to identify cases and help slow the spread of COVID-19. I'm also urging the Trump administration to do everything possible to put the researchers and scientists at New Mexico's national laboratories to work on engineering lifesaving solutions. Our national labs have played a leading role in discovering solutions to past public health crises, and they can no doubt be central to addressing this pandemic.

My office is on the ground working around the clock with local, tribal, and state officials. We are deeply aware of how much this public health crisis has upended small business owners, workers, and schools all across our state. I helped secure disaster declarations for New Mexico from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). That means that SBA can now offer low-interest federal disaster loans for working capital to small businesses suffering substantial economic injury as a result of the coronavirus.

My office is also working to help New Mexicans stuck abroad - connecting them to their nearest U.S. embassy and holding the U.S. State Department accountable to make sure we bring New Mexicans home. If you or a family member needs assistance, I encourage you to contact my office right away.

I voted last week to pass the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, which included both nutritional assistance and immediate economic relief measures. The bill will also provide an estimated $250 million increase in federal Medicaid funding for New Mexico. But we can't stop there. Republicans must work in good faith with Democrats to pass a larger stimulus bill that puts the interests of small businesses, non-profits, workers, and their families first.

I have no doubt that big industries and corporations like the airlines and cruise lines will have plenty of help getting back on their feet. I am fighting to ensure that Washington doesn't leave behind the New Mexico families who don't have high-paid lobbyists. I am also making sure we don't forget about our tribal nations or our rural communities, who will be disproportionately impacted. We need to have the backs of the food service and hospitality workers who rely on New Mexico's tourism industry, and all of the small business owners and workers whose jobs and lives have been thrown into total disarray.

I also want to make sure that in a larger economic stimulus, we are investing in the greatest long-term good for our economy. We have lessons that we learned from the response to the financial crisis a decade ago. We should make sure we get the economic measures right so families in New Mexico who need help actually get it.

I truly believe that this is the challenge that our generation will be measured against. I am confident that we will get through this, but only if we can keep doing the right thing for our friends, our families, and our neighbors. I can assure you I am doing everything in my power to protect our health during this unprecedented crisis and I will never stop fighting for our communities.

Please continue to stay informed about what you can do to keep yourself and your family healthy, and contact my office if I can be of assistance.

Be well and stay healthy.

Sincerely,

Signature

MARTIN HEINRICH
United States Senator

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Dear Friend,

Over the last week, we have seen the number of positive cases of COVID-19 increase in communities in New Mexico and across the nation. This only underscores the importance of increasing testing here in New Mexico and equipping our hospitals and health care workers on the frontlines with the resources they need to keep all of us healthy and safe.

Each of us has a role to play in literally saving the lives of our fellow New Mexicans. Yesterday, Governor Lujan Grisham issued a new "Stay At Home" instruction, directing New Mexicans to remain in their homes or places of residence except for outings absolutely necessary for health, safety, and welfare. This social distancing is absolutely critical if we want to stop the spread of the coronavirus in our state. You can find out more about the Governor's instruction on the New Mexico Department of Health's Coronavirus Website.

mail?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.heinrich.sena

Together we can help reduce the spread of the coronavirus and protect the health of our friends, our neighbors, and our family members. As this graphic from the New Mexico Department of Health illustrates, if everyone limits their interactions with other people right now, we will greatly decrease the number of infected people in our communities and allow our hospitals and health care workers to better treat those who do get sick.

We have learned from past pandemics, such as the Spanish Flu that killed millions of people worldwide in 1918, that communities that move more quickly to adopt aggressive social distancing measures see much lower rates of infections and deaths. You can see this in the major difference between how many deaths there were from the Spanish Flu in Philadelphia, which acted too slowly, and St. Louis, which acted quickly and decisively.

mail?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.heinrich.sena

If you develop symptoms of COVID-19 infection-fever, a dry cough, or shortness of breath-you should call your health care provider or the New Mexico COVID-19 Hotline at 1-855-600-3453 right away. You can find out more about New Mexico's current testing and travel guidelines here.

I am also maintaining a Coronavirus Resource Center on my website, where New Mexicans can find accurate, science-based information about the virus and resources for services around our state for those whose life and livelihoods have been disrupted by the economic fallout of this pandemic.

Please continue to stay informed about what you can do to keep yourself and your family healthy, and contact my office if I can be of assistance.

Be well and stay healthy.

Sincerely,

Signature

MARTIN HEINRICH
United States Senator

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Dear Friend,

Before I update you on my latest work, I want to offer my condolences to the friends and family of the first New Mexican we know to have died from COVID-19. We must continue fighting this disease on all fronts so less families in our state will lose their loved ones. That means increasing testing and transparency, encouraging all New Mexicans to keep following Governor Lujan Grisham's stay-at-home instruction, and equipping our hospitals and health care workers on the frontlines with the tools they need to keep everyone healthy and safe.

Late last night, I voted for a major bipartisan agreement that will provide over $2 trillion for emergency medical supplies, public health resources, and desperately needed economic relief for American workers and families. This legislation follows two previous emergency funding measures Congress passed earlier in the month to provide essential medical resources to the public health response and shore up economic relief programs like Medicaid, paid sick leave, food assistance, and unemployment insurance.

Last week, we saw more New Mexicans apply for unemployment than in any single week during the Great Recession. That is only one sign of how much workers and businesses in our state are struggling. Small business owners all across New Mexico are temporarily closing their doors and wondering if they will be able to reopen. Workers who have lost their jobs--even if only temporarily--are worried about how they can support their families who depend on their paychecks. Our schools, our non-profits, and our food banks are stepping up to make sure no New Mexican goes hungry. But they are taking on massive costs to do so.

Like all compromises in Congress, the bill the Senate passed last night is not perfect. However, all of the substantive negotiations brought us to a place where we can deliver the help that New Mexicans are demanding. I can say now that help is on the way. Democrats were also able to secure critical provisions that will assure there is accountability and oversight on how these taxpayer dollars are allocated and also make sure resources will be steered towards those who really need it.

The most urgent measures in this legislation are what is being called a Marshall Plan for our hospitals and health care system. This crisis has revealed in stark relief how much we need to reinvest in our hospitals and health care system to ensure that everyone in America--whether they live in rural New Mexico or in New York City--has access to lifesaving medical care. The funding we approved will help our hospitals secure supplies they desperately need during this emergency such as ventilators and personal protective equipment. It will also provide key funding support to COVID-19 response at community health centers, the VA, and the Indian Health Service.

State, local, and tribal governments have been shouldering the costs of propping up local health care and economic relief systems as they waited for relief from the federal government. The package includes $150 billion to reimburse these costs. After Republicans initially failed to include tribes, Democrats secured $8 billion to go specifically to tribal governments who have lost much of their revenue from closed tribal enterprises and face unique public health challenges.

We also secured a massive expansion of the unemployment insurance program, which will be an essential lifeline for millions of workers during this crisis. The legislation increases the maximum unemployment benefit by $600 per week over the state's baseline and ensures that laid-off workers, on average, will receive their full pay for four months. We expanded access to unemployment insurance to part-time, self-employed, and gig economy workers who have also seen their paychecks shrink or disappear entirely. We are also providing more than $350 billion of additional funds for loans and grants to help small businesses pay the salaries of their employees and successfully reopen after this is all over.

Democrats doubled the cash payments to working Americans from $600 to $1,200. An additional $500 cash payment is available for each child in a household. The full payment will be available for individuals making up to $75,000 for individuals and up to $150,000 for married couples. I'm hopeful that these payments, which should make it to households within weeks, will give some peace of mind to so many families in New Mexico who have been worried about how they were going to ride out this storm.

Finally, I also fought to include $400 million for states to prepare elections systems for expanded vote-by-mail, online voter registration, and increased safety for in-person voting. Especially during a presidential election year, Americans need complete certainty that their fundamental right to vote will not be compromised. They should never fear that exercising that right will put them in danger.

Once this bill becomes law, the Trump Administration will have to work with states, tribes, and local partners to implement it. How well we can execute delivering both the medical and economic resources over the next days and weeks will determine how well we can recover from this pandemic. I promise that I will hold them accountable every step of the way.

Please continue to stay informed about what you can do to keep yourself and your family healthy, and contact my office if I can be of assistance.

Sincerely,

Signature

MARTIN HEINRICH
United States Senator

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 5 weeks later...

Dear Friend,

We are all anxious and eager for the coronavirus pandemic to end so we can reopen our communities and get back to work. The key to resuming normal life will be making free COVID-19 testing readily available in every single community in every corner of the country. I hope you can take a moment to read and share an op-ed I wrote in today's Santa Fe New Mexican about the steps we need to take to get there.

Please continue to stay informed about what you can do to keep yourself and your family healthy during the pandemic, and don't hesitate to contact my office if I can be of assistance.

Be well and stay healthy.

Sincerely,

Signature

MARTIN HEINRICH
United States Senator

 

  www.santafenewmexican.com/opinion/my_view/testing-strategy

image.png

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Dear Friend,

There is a legal case working its way through New Mexico's courts that may ultimately determine whether or not New Mexicans can access our waterways.

In the final days of Governor Susana Martinez's administration, the State Game Commission passed a rule that upended anglers', boaters', and other recreationists' right to access public streams. This rule put a halt to activities that have long been enjoyed by New Mexicans throughout the state, and drawn visitors from both near and far who contribute to our outdoor recreation economy.

The rule allows private landowners to prohibit public access to waters flowing through their lands if the waters are designated as "non-navigable." What this means is that the vast majority of New Mexico's streams - whether they flow all the time, intermittently, or just when it rains - could be designated as not "navigable" and could be kept off limits to the public.

When we became a state, the New Mexico Constitution included clear language that stated that rivers, streams, and lakes in New Mexico "belong to the public." For 75 years, the New Mexico Supreme Court has recognized the public's right to recreate, fish, and use these waters, including waters that flow through private lands. I support that right and call on Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham and New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas to do the same.

As a lifelong conservationist and a former outfitter guide, I have long worked to protect and conserve New Mexico's public lands, watersheds, streams and wildlife for future generations. I know the landscape of our state intimately and keep a mental map of the mountains and watersheds, constantly updating it as I combine data from actual maps with my experiences on the ground. I have fished and hunted extensively throughout New Mexico and kayaked, canoed, and rafted most of the major rivers of the state.

While private property rights must be respected, public access to our public waterways is essential to sustaining outdoor traditions for all of us. Our right to float, fish, and see wildlife on these publicly-owned waterways should not depend on which landholders we know or the thickness of our wallets.

The Game Commission, the Attorney General, and the Governor have the legal authority to act swiftly to make sure this rule is withdrawn and re-written. I have called on them to exercise that authority. If they do not, however, lawsuits are already filed putting the rule's legality before the New Mexico courts. This week, Senator Tom Udall and I moved to file an amicus, or "friend of the court," brief before the New Mexico Supreme Court to defend New Mexicans' right under the state constitution to access public surface waters.

New Mexicans have always understood agua es vida, water is life. We know how vital managing this precious resource is to preserving our economy, our environment, and our traditions, many of which have been in place since before statehood. Whether through the courts or not, we must all reaffirm that New Mexico's rivers, streams, and lakes belong to the public.

I encourage you to stay in touch with me about this and other issues important to you and your family.

Be well and stay healthy.

Sincerely,

Signature

MARTIN HEINRICH
United States Senator

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Dear Friend,

In times of national crisis, Americans have always embraced service to their country. Both during the immediate public health emergency we face and on the long road to recovery, we will be a much stronger country if we ask Americans to step up to serve our nation and give them meaningful opportunities to do so. 

I am proud to help lead a bipartisan coalition of members in the House and Senate who just introduced the Pandemic Response and Recovery Through National Service Act. Our legislation would greatly expand and improve AmeriCorps programs, funding 750,000 national service positions over a three-year response and recovery period. Empowering a new generation of Americans through service will be a key ingredient not just to meeting our immediate public health challenges, but also a strong long-term economic recovery. 

This is very personal for me. I am the first United States Senator who is an alum of the AmeriCorps program. I served as a natural resources AmeriCorps Member assigned to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service's Mexican Wolf Recovery Project. My work helped lay the groundwork for the recovery of one of the world's most endangered species. Because I grew up on a farm, my skills were often applied to the program's infrastructure needs. I was asked to run a backhoe laying water lines for the breeding enclosures that brought these creatures back from the brink of extinction.

When our nation was struggling through the Great Depression, President Franklin Roosevelt well understood the value of this kind of work when he created New Deal programs like the Works Progress Administration and the Civilian Conservation Corps. He understood that a generation of out of work Americans were not without worth, but rather that they could leave an indelible mark on our country.

Over the years, I've had the privilege of meeting many of the Civilian Conservation Corps participants, or "CCC boys," as they called themselves. Many of them have passed away by now, but their works will outlive all of them and will continue to serve this nation for decades to come. You can see the legacy they left in New Mexico at Bandelier National Monument, at White Sands National Park, and on backcountry trails throughout our public lands. 

National%20Service%20Bill.png

We need to expand national service opportunities to give a new generation of Americans the opportunity to leave their mark and play a major role in our national recovery. They can reinforce the workforce for urgent public health and emergency response and also go to work rebuilding communities and important infrastructure. For example, Indian Country has borne a disproportionate brunt from the pandemic. Funding more opportunities in the Indian Youth Service Corps will mean real help for tribal nations in their recovery from this tragic time.

In addition, putting today's national service corps to work conserving our public lands and creating resilient landscapes will have a long-term economic impact on our country. The outdoor recreation industry was fueling some of the fastest job growth in New Mexico, particularly in our rural and tribal communities, before the pandemic hit. Expanding our conservation corps will create jobs in the short-term and create new opportunities in our public lands that will help us restore and keep growing a key part of New Mexico's economy, and rural economies all across the country.

I'm so proud to be a part of this effort to empower a new generation of Americans to serve our great nation. I encourage you to keep informed about how to stay safe during the pandemic and please contact my office if I can be of assistance. You can count on me to keep doing everything in my power to secure resources New Mexico needs for a lifesaving public health response that's rooted in science and a broad economic recovery.

Be well and stay healthy.

Sincerely,

Signature

MARTIN HEINRICH
United States Senator

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

mail?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.heinrich.sena

PHOTO: In 2018, U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich attended the Incident Command morning meeting to receive an update on the Ute Park Fire, June 5, 2018.

June 22, 2020

Dear Friend,

We all have a part to play in protecting the places we love from catastrophic wildfires. Right now, we are starting to experience an active wildfire season in New Mexico, with multiple fires burning in our state and in neighboring states. As we confront our usual fire risks during hot and dry weather conditions alongside unique challenges stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic, we need to be especially vigilant and limit any possible disastrous fires.

I encourage you to visit the Wildfire Preparedness & Prevention Resource Center on my website for prevention tips, best practices to protect homes and businesses, and an interactive map of active wildfire information from around the state. Before you go on any outdoor trips, please look up the current rules and guidelines, including fire bans and closures. In addition to wildfire season, we are also still in this middle of a pandemic, so I encourage everyone to practice responsible recreation when you go outside.

Throughout the next weeks and months ahead, it is absolutely critical for all of us to follow the following rules to prevent human caused wildfires:

  • Do not use fireworks of any kind;
  • Use caution and common sense before lighting any fire;
  • Understand that any fire you create could become a wildfire;
  • Never, ever leave any fire unattended;
  • Properly extinguish and discard smoking materials;
  • Be aware of your surroundings and careful when operating equipment including off road vehicles during periods of dry or hot weather; 
  • Speak up and step in when you see someone in danger of starting a wildfire; and
  • Be prepared for any emergency by putting together a disaster kit and family evacuation plan.

Through my role on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, I am also making sure the U.S. Forest Service is enacting proper protocols to protect the health and safety of wildland firefighters and surrounding communities amid the COVID-19 pandemic. I will continue to monitor this effort closely throughout this year's fire season.

I urge all of us in New Mexico to stay safe this summer. Join me in doing your part to prevent disastrous wildfires in our state.

Sincerely,

Signature

MARTIN HEINRICH
United States Senator

  • Like 1
  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 weeks later...

Jul 16, 2020

Dear Friend,

Seventy five years ago today, the world as we knew it changed dramatically at a place in central New Mexico's Tularosa Basin that we now know as the Trinity Site.

The Trinity Test was the first detonation of a nuclear weapon in human history. It was the culmination of work by hundreds of thousands of Americans and allied scientists working in sites across the country as part of the top-secret Manhattan Project. This was a scientific and engineering mission on a scale never seen before or since. Less than a month after the Trinity Test, President Truman would order the use of the two other atomic bombs developed by this project. Their detonation put an end to the fighting in World War II, but also left a deadly and long-lasting impact on the people of Hiroshima and Nagasaki too horrible for words.

We are still grappling with this complicated history and ongoing consequences of nuclear weapons 75 years later. We appreciate and admire the scientists, engineers, military leaders, and workers who went to places like Los Alamos, Oak Ridge, and Hanford to beat Nazi Germany's scientists in the enormously consequential race to develop this lethal technology. But it is a sad truth that these weapons were ever used, and we all hope that they will never be used again. In New Mexico, employees at Los Alamos and Sandia National Laboratories continue working to this day to maintain the safety and security of our nuclear deterrent while also contributing to critical nonproliferation work that can lead us toward a future without nuclear weapons.

The families who lived in and near New Mexico's Tularosa Basin, downwind from the Trinity explosion, continue to live with another, painful part of New Mexico's nuclear legacy - the trauma and health impacts of being exposed to this nuclear test and the radioactive cloud in its aftermath. These families were never told that the white dust falling all around them would make them ill and contaminate their crops, their water, and their livestock. They were never told of the variety of cancers that would befall them later in life and the loved ones that would be lost after much suffering.

Other communities in New Mexico continue to address waste storage and environmental cleanup work stemming from decades of nuclear energy and weapons programs. In particular, the uranium mill workers and miners, who for decades contributed to our nation's nuclear security during the Cold War, also continue to cope with serious health problems due to radioactive material exposure. All of these Americans await the justice and compensation from our nation that they deserve for their sacrifice. It is long overdue for Congress to finally amend the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act to include the Trinity Downwinders, all Americans who were downwind from other nuclear tests, and all of the uranium workers who were exposed to radiation in service to our national defense.

It is my hope that future generations will engage with the history at the recently established Manhattan Project National Historical Park and think critically about the Trinity Test's living and complex legacy.

We should all pause to reflect today on the gravity of this moment in our history. And then we should commit ourselves to the never ending work to build a more peaceful world.

Sincerely,

Signature

MARTIN HEINRICH
United States Senator

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

Dear Friend,

I am outraged that President Trump is holding negotiations hostage on urgently needed COVID relief legislation--including desperately needed emergency funding for the U.S. Postal Service (USPS)--just because he doesn't want millions of Americans to be able to safely cast their ballots in the mail. We know that's what's happening because he admitted to it on live television. This shocking admission came on the heels of a concerted effort by his recently appointed Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, a former major donor to the Trump campaign and the Republican Party, to sabotage and politicize the operations of the Postal Service.

This morning, Postmaster General DeJoy testified before the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee. My colleagues detailed numerous complaints they have fielded from their constituents all around the country. There have been massive service disruptions, failures in delivery, removal of sorting machines, retaliation against postal workers who are raising attention to problems, and price hikes on packages, all stemming from the changes implemented since Mr. DeJoy took on his new leadership role. I have heard from many New Mexicans echoing similar concerns. During the hearing, I was disappointed to see Mr. DeJoy dodge questions and deny the widespread and detailed accounts of serious problems and noticeable delays in operations.

I am committed to doing everything in my power to hold the Trump administration accountable for delivering the services that Americans rely on. As part of that effort, I would like to learn more from New Mexicans who have important information about disruptions to the Postal Service or who believe they have been impacted by unusual delays in service. Please visit Heinrich.Senate.Gov/postal to tell me about your experiences. If you are experiencing urgent problems with your mail delivery and need assistance, I also encourage you to contact my office right away.

We're still in the middle of a pandemic, and seniors and New Mexicans living with chronic health conditions are relying on the Postal Service to deliver their prescriptions. We are in the middle of the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, and our small businesses need the Postal Service to provide reliable, on-time shipping. Members of the military serving abroad depend on the Postal Service to stay in touch with their families. And with only weeks to go before voting begins in the presidential election, we need absolute certainty that all of our votes will count.

We can't allow President Trump's brazen political attacks on the essential services that the U.S. Postal Service provides to stand.

Sincerely,

Signature

MARTIN HEINRICH
United States Senator

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

57 minutes ago, Desertrat56 said:

Dear Friend,

I am outraged that President Trump is holding negotiations hostage on urgently needed COVID relief legislation--including desperately needed emergency funding for the U.S. Postal Service (USPS)--just because he doesn't want millions of Americans to be able to safely cast their ballots in the mail. We know that's what's happening because he admitted to it on live television. This shocking admission came on the heels of a concerted effort by his recently appointed Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, a former major donor to the Trump campaign and the Republican Party, to sabotage and politicize the operations of the Postal Service.

This morning, Postmaster General DeJoy testified before the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee. My colleagues detailed numerous complaints they have fielded from their constituents all around the country. There have been massive service disruptions, failures in delivery, removal of sorting machines, retaliation against postal workers who are raising attention to problems, and price hikes on packages, all stemming from the changes implemented since Mr. DeJoy took on his new leadership role. I have heard from many New Mexicans echoing similar concerns. During the hearing, I was disappointed to see Mr. DeJoy dodge questions and deny the widespread and detailed accounts of serious problems and noticeable delays in operations.

I am committed to doing everything in my power to hold the Trump administration accountable for delivering the services that Americans rely on. As part of that effort, I would like to learn more from New Mexicans who have important information about disruptions to the Postal Service or who believe they have been impacted by unusual delays in service. Please visit Heinrich.Senate.Gov/postal to tell me about your experiences. If you are experiencing urgent problems with your mail delivery and need assistance, I also encourage you to contact my office right away.

We're still in the middle of a pandemic, and seniors and New Mexicans living with chronic health conditions are relying on the Postal Service to deliver their prescriptions. We are in the middle of the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, and our small businesses need the Postal Service to provide reliable, on-time shipping. Members of the military serving abroad depend on the Postal Service to stay in touch with their families. And with only weeks to go before voting begins in the presidential election, we need absolute certainty that all of our votes will count.

We can't allow President Trump's brazen political attacks on the essential services that the U.S. Postal Service provides to stand.

Sincerely,

Signature

MARTIN HEINRICH
United States Senator

Ummm... it is Nancy Pelosi who is blocking Trump's initiative to release the funds for people unemployed by Covid ? (E.G. the covid relief legislation)

Martin Heinrich (a Democratic senator) is lying to you. 

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

42 minutes ago, RoofGardener said:

Ummm... it is Nancy Pelosi who is blocking Trump's initiative to release the funds for people unemployed by Covid ? (E.G. the covid relief legislation)

Martin Heinrich (a Democratic senator) is lying to you. 

You could just as easily say that Mitch McConnel and Donald Trump are obstructing Nancy Pelosi's relief package. The House passed a relief bill a couple of weeks ago. The Senate has not acted on it.  Trumps initiative also contained a payroll tax deferment and pushed $100 of that $300 dollar relied onto the states. 

Both approaches have effects on  the short term situation and the long term health of the economy.  Neither one is without cost.  

Both sides can look you straight in the eye and truthfully  tell you they are trying to protect the values of their constituents.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, RoofGardener said:

Ummm... it is Nancy Pelosi who is blocking Trump's initiative to release the funds for people unemployed by Covid ? (E.G. the covid relief legislation)

Martin Heinrich (a Democratic senator) is lying to you. 

Your binoculars are foggy.  You don't know and you aren't here.   BBC or where ever you get your information  is lying to you all the way across the pond.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

25 minutes ago, Desertrat56 said:

Your binoculars are foggy.  You don't know and you aren't here.   BBC or where ever you get your information  is lying to you all the way across the pond.

Sometimes, people on the other side of the pond have a clearer vision than some on this side that quaff the koolaid.  It's almost as if @RoofGardener is right here.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

24 minutes ago, RavenHawk said:

Sometimes, people on the other side of the pond have a clearer vision than some on this side that quaff the koolaid.  It's almost as if @RoofGardener is right here.

Not to mention they have the same access to our news as we do via the internet. It's quite rude and she makes the same accusation of anyone she disagrees with. Like they live under a rock or something. :rolleyes:

  • Like 1
  • Thanks 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.