Indian Country

Our tribal communities have always enhanced New Mexico’s rich culture and traditions.  

Issues that affect Indian Country are a top priority for me. As a former member of the U.S. House of Representatives, I led the effort to reauthorize the Indian Health Care Improvement Act. I also sponsored the Helping Expedite and Advance Responsible Tribal Homeownership (HEARTH) Act, which was signed into law by President Obama in 2012.  The HEARTH Act makes it easier to get a lease on trust land, which helps Native families buy homes and helps attract businesses and jobs to tribal communities.

I proudly cosponsored the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act, a bill to prevent violence against women, including Native women, by bolstering law enforcement efforts and providing necessary resources for victims of domestic violence.

I take pride in working with our tribal communities, and will continue to defend and protect tribal sovereignty, and advocate on their behalf on issues such as education, water access, housing, infrastructure, public safety, and cultural preservation.

Latest

  • Heinrich Legislation To Safeguard Tribal Artifacts Receives Key Committee Hearing

    ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -- Today, U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) delivered the following opening remarks at a Senate Committee on Indian Affairs oversight field hearing in Albuquerque on the Safeguard Tribal Objects of Patrimony (STOP) Act, a bill he introduced earlier this month to prohibit the exporting of sacred Native American items and increase penalties for stealing and illegally trafficking tribal cultural patrimony. The field hearing is currently being livestreamed by KOAT TV here. Read More

  • Udall, Heinrich Announce $344,325 to UNM to Support Native American Educators in New Mexico

    WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senators Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich announced that the University of New Mexico (UNM) will receive a $344,325 grant to provide training, licensing and induction services to Native Americans interested in pursuing a career in education. The purpose of the grant is to train more highly qualified Native American teachers and administrators to serve Indian student populations throughout New Mexico. The grant was awarded through the Department of Education's Office of Elementary and Secondary Education under the Indian Education Discretionary Grants Program. Read More

  • Udall, Heinrich Pass Bipartisan Measure to Expedite Gold King Mine Spill Recovery

    WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senators Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich announced that their bipartisan measure to speed up reimbursements to Tribal, local and state governments for the costs they incurred responding to the Gold King Mine spill has passed the Senate as an amendment to the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA). The measure will expedite the process of reimbursing governments, which spent millions of dollars responding to the devastating Aug. 5, 2015, spill. It also emphasizes to the EPA that it must move faster to respond to the claims from famers and other individuals who were harmed by the disaster. Read More

  • Heinrich Welcomes Administration’s Response To Tribal Concerns Over Dakota Access Pipeline Project

    U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) welcomed news from the Department of Justice, the Department of the Army, and the Department of the Interior that the agencies would halt the construction of the Dakota Access pipeline to allow for "a serious discussion on whether there should be nationwide reform with respect to considering tribes' views on these types of infrastructure projects." The full statement from the agencies is available here. Read More

  • Udall, Heinrich, Luján Applaud ‘Superfund' Designation for Gold King Mine District

    WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senators Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich and U.S. Representative Ben Ray Luján welcomed the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) decision to add the Bonita Peak Mining District in Colorado's San Juan County - home to the Gold King Mine - to the National Priorities List (NPL) of Superfund sites. The lawmakers have pressed the EPA to support designating the Gold King Mine as a Superfund site since a blowout last August released toxic wastewater into the Animas and San Juan rivers in New Mexico and Colorado. The three also are backing legislation in the Senate and House to clean up similar abandoned mines across the West. Read More