Source: United States Senator for New Mexico Martin Heinrich

Investments Heinrich championed support homeownership & homebuilding, rental & homelessness assistance, Tribal health & education, Southwest Border Regional Commission, & more

WASHINGTON — U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) announced the bipartisan Senate Appropriations Committee passage of the Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) Interior, Environment and Related Agencies; and Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development, and Related Agencies (THUD) Appropriations Bills. With Committee approval of these bills, Heinrich secured support for over $65 million for New Mexico, including $52 million in Congressionally Directed Spending for 39 local projects between these bills and their House-companions.

“While these Appropriations bills aren’t perfect, they include resources and investments I negotiated for New Mexico that will fund Tribal health care and education, help Tribal law enforcement officers solve and reduce violent crime, and continue funding for the Institute of American Indian Arts for the 2026-2027 school year,” said Heinrich, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee. “This legislation will help over 11,000 families in New Mexico afford rent, build new housing, and invest in border communities through the Southwest Border Regional Commission. Additionally, the bill protects the Amtrak Southwest Chief train service in New Mexico, restores waterfowl habitat, and builds on my work to clean up abandoned hardrock mines. As a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, I will always fight for investments that put New Mexico first.”

Additionally, Heinrich offered an amendment to require the U.S. Department of the Interior and the U.S. Forest Service to hire and maintain a minimum number of Full Time Employees in order to manage wildfire preparedness, suppression, and other mission-critical support, in the FY26 Interior, Environment and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill. Heinrich’s amendment would have also required the National Park Service to hire and maintain a minimum number of Full Time Employees for the operation of national park units, including administrative services. Despite Heinrich’s attempt to include the amendment in the Appropriations bill, the amendment was rejected by Republicans on the Committee.

Heinrich is a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee and the Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies.

Next, the two bills passed out of the Appropriations Committee will be considered by the full United States Senate.

Interior, Environment and Related Agencies Key Points and Highlights

Congressionally Directed Spending

Heinrich successfully included $7.1 million in investments for the following ten local projects in the bill:

• $1,075,000 for the City of Truth or Consequences to replace aged and damaged waterlines.
• $1,000,000 for Zuni Pueblo to make improvements to their drinking water system.
• $1,000,000 for Pueblo of Tesuque to remove Siberian elm trees to restore the Rio Tesuque bosque to its natural vegetation.

• $1,000,000 for the Village of Questa to construct a well house to prevent contamination of their municipal well.

• $1,000,000 for Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority to conduct wastewater system improvements in Carnuel.

• $700,000 for the Mescalero Apache Tribe to restore coniferous forest and promote aspen stand growth along the Rio Ruidoso to prepare for the reintroduction of beavers, a culturally significant species.
• $525,000 for Taos Pueblo to purchase wildfire preparedness equipment.

• $500,000 for Eight Northern Indian Pueblos Council for a Caja del Rio Ethnographic Study.
• $150,000 for the Desert Tortoise Council to work on Bolson tortoise recovery efforts.

• $150,000 for the Bureau of Land Management to work with existing partners to replace barbed-wire fences with wildlife-friendly fences on the Rio Grande del Norte National Monument.

Heinrich and U.S. Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) successfully included $3.39 million for the following three projects:

• $2,090,000 for the City of Rio Rancho to expand their aquifer reinjection system.
• $800,000 for the Enchanted Forest Mutual Domestic Water Consumers Association to develop a new water source pump house and appurtenances and to replace distribution lines.
• $500,000 for the New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs to make water system improvements at the Fort Selden Historic Site.

Heinrich also successfully worked with his colleagues in the N.M. Delegation to include $2.18 million for the following two projects in the House-companion bill:

• $1,092,000 for the Town of Bernalillo will rehabilitate their current wastewater facilities.

• $1,092,000 for the City of Belen to rehabilitate their wastewater treatment plant.

Heinrich also successfully included three amendments into the Manager’s Package. These include:

1. An amendment for a U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) study comparing the per-patient funding levels for health care services provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Indian Health Service (IHS). Additionally, the study would analyze potential recruitment and retainment strategies utilized by the VA that could be extended to IHS.
2. An amendment ensuring that the Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) is included in reference to the reauthorization of the Legacy Restoration Fund to address deferred maintenance.
3. An amendment for a Fish and Wildlife Service report on staffing levels and positions at National Wildlife Refuge System units and complexes.

Safeguard Tribal Objects of Patrimony (STOP) Act Implementation: Heinrich successfully included $500,000 to implement the Safeguard Tribal Objects of Patrimony (STOP) Act, a bipartisan law that Heinrich championed and passed in 2022 to prohibit the exporting of sacred Native American items and increase penalties for stealing and illegally trafficking Tribal cultural patrimony. Representing the first dedicated funding for this program, it would be used to halt the trade of culturally significant items and repatriate stolen pieces to the Tribal communities where they belong. Heinrich first introduced the STOP Act in 2016 after he helped halt the auction of a shield, stolen from the Pueblo of Acoma. Heinrich played a role in the effort to bring the shield home to Acoma by working with Governors Kurt Riley and Brian Vallo to call for its return.

Tribal Programs: Heinrich fought for and successfully included $13,482,000 to the Institute of American Indian and Alaska Native Culture and Arts Development (IAIA). After the administration threatened to withhold IAIA’s funding earlier this year, Heinrich secured the release of FY 2025 funds earlier this month. This bill will ensure continued investment for IAIA through FY26, supporting its mission to advance Indigenous arts, culture, and education for future generations.

Heinrich also successfully included funding to protect several Tribal programs, including $23,750,000 for Tribal Historic Preservation Offices, $2,658,289,000 for Indian Health Services (IHS) Hospitals and Health Clinics, and funding for IHS Facilities and Construction. He also protected funding for Bureau of Indian Affairs Tribal Law Enforcement and included report language to ensure the continuation of the Tribal law enforcement training program in New Mexico.

Abandoned Hardrock Mine Reclamation Program: Heinrich successfully included continued funding for the Abandoned Hardrock Mine Reclamation Program, after championing the creation of the program in the Infrastructure Law. Hardrock mines and mining features are related to the extraction of metals like copper, gold, silver, and uranium. When not reclaimed, many hardrock mines pose a hazard to public health and the environment. This funding will be used to clean up federal, state, Tribal, and private land and water resources affected by abandoned hardrock mines.

Southwest Ecological Research Institutes: Heinrich fought for and successfully maintained funding for the Southwest Ecological Research Institutes (SWERIs). Last month Heinrich pressed the U.S. Forest Chief on the Administration’s plan entirely to cut funding for the program in FY26. SWERIs offer unique opportunities for dedicated research in forest science and watershed health and represent the future of science in forest management. New Mexico Highlands University houses one center along with Colorado State University and Northern Arizona University. This funding would ensure the continuation of valuable research in southwestern forest and fire management.

Conservation: Heinrich successfully protected funding for the North American Wetlands Conservation Fund, which leverages private dollars to restore waterfowl habitat across the country. Senator Heinrich led the reauthorization of this fund last congress. He also protected core wildlife management and science capabilities at the Fish and Wildlife Service and the U.S. Geological Survey from the steep cuts proposed by the Trump administration.

Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development, and Related Agencies (THUD) Key Points and Highlights

Congressionally Directed Spending

Heinrich successfully included $17.1 million in investments for the following 11 local projects in the bill:

• $4,000,000 for Homewise to help moderate-income, first-time homebuyers purchase entry-level homes.

• $2,300,000 for the City of Socorro to replace aged and damaged waterlines.

• $2,073,000 for the City of Raton to upgrade its municipal airport infrastructure.

• $1,500,000 for the Boys & Girls Club of San Juan County to renovate a community center.

• $1,500,000 for DreamTree Project to complete the final phase of renovations to the Navigating Emergency Support Together (NEST) building and purchase land for on-site permanent supportive housing.

• $1,000,000 Serenity Mesa Youth Recovery Center to expand their facilities to support increased substance use crisis stabilization, treatment, and housing for adolescents and young adults.

• $850,000 for the Albuquerque Housing Authority will invest in necessary upgrades at public housing properties.

• $692,000 for the Northern Rio Grande National Heritage Area to conduct an affordable housing pilot project.

• $440,000 for Deming Silver Linings to provide emergency temporary housing for unhoused individuals.

• $200,000 for Mesilla Valley Community of Hope to support individuals and families experiencing poverty and homelessness by providing affordable housing and wraparound services.

Heinrich and U.S. Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) successfully included $16.3 million for the following nine projects:

• $3,000,000 for Youth Development, Inc. for an early childhood development center.

• $3,000,000 for the Agri-Cultura Cooperative Network and La Cosecha Community Supported Agriculture to create a Food Hub at the Sacred Roots farm site to create economic development opportunity in the local food system, provide education to students and community members, and increase access to healthy foods.

• $2,500,000 for Santa Fe County to develop a Permanent Supportive Housing project designed to meet the urgent needs of the region’s unhoused population.

• $1,800,000 for the Town of Mountainair to rebuild, repave, and upgrade approximately two miles of downtown Mountainair’s roadways.

• $1,600,000 for the City of Raton to conduct an interchange alignment study as part of the Ports-to-Plains Corridor Interstate Planning process.

• $1,500,000 for Tierra Del Sol Housing Corporation to complete the first phase of construction for an affordable housing project in Vado, New Mexico.

• $1,210,000 for the City of Bloomfield to plan, design, and construct the expansion of East Blanco Boulevard in Bloomfield.

• $1,000,000 for the Pueblo of Acoma to construct new single-family homes for low-to-moderate income families on the Housing Authority’s waiting list.

• $700,000 for Cuidando Los Niños of Albuquerque to expand its facility to house early childhood education and family wraparound services.

Heinrich also successfully worked with his colleagues in the N.M. Delegation to include $8.4 million for the following four projects in the House-companion bill:

• $2,900,000 for the Pueblo of Acoma to repair housing for senior community members and provide ADA accommodations.

• $2,000,000 for the City of Albuquerque Health, Housing and Homelessness Department to improve security and accessibility at the city’s largest homeless shelter.

• $2,000,000 for the City of Albuquerque to establish a modular Shelter Stability site for seniors.

• $1,512,000 for Jemez Pueblo to demolish hazardous buildings within the Pueblo.

Rental Assistance: Heinrich successfully secured increased funding for the Tenant-Based Rental Assistance (Housing Choice Vouchers) and Project-Based Rental Assistance, despite the administration’s attempts to completely defund both programs. The Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) Program helps over 11,000 families in New Mexico afford rent. Heinrich also secured language urging HUD to expand resources to train public housing staff on how to use housing choice vouchers to make homeownership an attainable goal for residents of public housing.

Tribal Programs: Heinrich successfully included a $25 million investment for Tribal Transportation Program High Priority Projects, a set-aside that provides funds to Tribes or a governmental subdivision of a Tribe whose annual allocation of funding received under the Tribal Transportation Program is insufficient to complete the highest priority project of the Tribe. Heinrich secured an increase in funding for Tribal housing programs. Heinrich also secured a legislative proposal that would make certain home loans on Tribal lands easier to keep if homeowners are delinquent on payments.

Southwest Border Regional Commission: Heinrich successfully included a $5 million investment in the Southwest Border Regional Commission (SBRC) for transportation infrastructure planning to support supply chain connectivity and economic development in southern New Mexico and along the southern border.

Homelessness Assistance: Heinrich successfully secured an increase in funding for grant programs that address homelessness through emergency shelter, transitional and supportive housing, rapid re-housing, rental assistance and prevention, and supportive services. Heinrich successfully pushed back against the Trump administration’s attempts to curtail homelessness assistance funding by making grant match requirements overly burdensome for New Mexican service providers.

Homebuilding and Homeownership: Heinrich secured funding for the HOME Investment Partnership Program (HOME), a critical program that helps New Mexicans purchase or rehabilitate homes. The Trump administration also sought to cut all funding for this program. In New Mexico, HOME also provides gap funding for Low-Income Housing Tax Credit projects, which increases the supply of affordable rental units.

Amtrak Southwest Chief: Heinrich secured language that protects existing Amtrak Southwest Chief train service in New Mexico from cuts and closure.