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

  • Udall, Heinrich, Luján, Lujan Grisham Announce Passage of Bipartisan Measure to Expedite Gold King Mine Spill Recovery

    WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senators Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich and U.S. Representatives Ben Ray Luján and Michelle Lujan Grisham announced that a bipartisan measure to expedite reimbursements to Tribal, local and state governments for costs incurred in responding to the Gold King Mine spill has passed both Houses of Congress as an amendment to the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA). The amendment - authored by Senators Udall and Heinrich on the Senate side and introduced by Luján on the House side, and supported by all four of the lawmakers — forces the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to extend the date to reimburse governments for their emergency response efforts, directs the EPA to quickly address claims filed by individual farmers, and authorizes the EPA to coordinate with governments and pay for water monitoring efforts.  Read More

  • 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