Heinrich Spotlights Economic Growth at Central New Mexico Manufacturing and Innovation Expo

LOS LUNAS, N.M. - Today, U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) spoke at the Central New Mexico Manufacturing and Innovation Expo, highlighting how his work to pass the Infrastructure Law, CHIPS and Science Act, and the Inflation Reduction Act, helped create the foundation for exponential economic growth in the region.

"Today is kind of a full circle moment for me, because six years ago, Congress hadn't fully touched industrial policy in probably 50 years, and domestic manufacturing was declining all across the country, as a result," said Heinrich. "We had the job losses to prove it. Since then, we have begun to reverse that trend, and it turns out that industrial policy really does matter."

"Five years ago, a group of us came together and passed the Infrastructure Law and the CHIPS Act, two major investments, both in basic infrastructure that supports all of our business development, as well as the manufacturing that we had started to hemorrhage to other parts of the world. A year later, I was deeply involved in championing the Inflation Reduction Act," Heinrich continued.

"Because of projects like Pacific Fusion, Arcosa, [and] Kairos, New Mexico is becoming one of the best places in our country to build our clean energy future... The truth is that the future of American manufacturing is being built right here in places like Los Lunas, in places like Valencia County and in Central New Mexico as a whole. And rural communities across New Mexico and across the country are proving that innovation doesn't just live in big cities. Innovation thrives where hard work, advanced technology, and strong local partnerships come together,"concluded Heinrich.

In 2021 and 2022, Heinrich helped pass the Infrastructure Lawand the Inflation Reduction Act, which helped bring manufacturing to Central New Mexico, including companies like Arcosa Wind Towers. Later in 2022, Heinrich also helped pass the CHIPS and Science Act, bipartisan legislation to lower costs, boost domestic manufacturing, strengthen domestic supply chains, and invest in skilled trades and workforce training programs.

In February 2025, Heinrich introduced his Apprenticeship Pathways Act, legislation to create pathways to high-demand careers for high school students by expanding access to apprenticeships and technical education.

A transcript of his remarks as delivered is below:

Good morning everyone. It's great to be here this morning and a special thank you, of course, to the Village of Los Lunas for hosting us here.

And what an appropriate place for you, in this - because there is so much going on in this part of the state.

Today is kind of a full circle moment for me, because six years ago, Congress hadn't fully touched industrial policy in probably 50 years, and domestic manufacturing was declining all across the country, as a result.

We had the job losses to prove it. Since then, we have begun to reverse that trend, and it turns out that industrial policy really does matter.

Five years ago, a group of us came together and passed the Infrastructure Law and the CHIPS Act, two major investments, both in basic infrastructure, that supports all of our business development, as well as the manufacturing that we had started to hemorrhage to other parts of the world.

A year later, I was deeply involved in championing the Inflation Reduction Act. Now, just a few miles from here, we have players like Pacific Fusion that has kick-started their $1 billion investment in Central New Mexico.

I just drove past - it's great to see that sign up front. And how exciting is that?

That facility is expected to employ three full-time careers by the end of this year, and the Pacific Fusion success story is not alone.

When you look at the region, not only is New Mexico now leading in fusion, we're also leading in fission with Kairos Power just up the road.

And to have gone from basically no presence to leading on both of those advanced energy tracks in just a few years for me is really exciting, especially as somebody who started my career in the largest research reactor in the country.

Almost two years ago, we saw the first wind towers finally come off the Arcosa manufacturing line in Belen.

Those towers are made completely with American-made steel, and once that steel makes its way from Iowa to Belen, New Mexico manufacturers make it into wind towers right here in Valencia County.

At the Belen facility, which many of us remember as the former plastic cup factory, Arcosa is investing $60 million and generating $314 million in local economic impact and roughly 250 jobs - jobs that New Mexicans can build their families around.

And that's one of the things that, when I look at manufacturing, I think about: the way I grew up, because my mom worked in manufacturing the entire time I was growing up.

My dad was a lineman. And those manufacturing jobs really were, even without a college education, jobs that you could build a family around.

And we're getting back to that finally, and these towers actually made SunZia possible.

So New Mexico got to lead with the single largest renewable energy project ever built in the Western Hemisphere, and we did it right here in New Mexico, three and a half gigawatts of clean power.

And think of all the laborers and all of the skilled trades from the IBEW electricians and others that made that generation possible, and that made the transmission - 550 miles - possible, all serviced by what Arcosa was able to feed into that project.

Because of projects like Pacific Fusion, Arcosa, Kairos, New Mexico is becoming one of the best places in our country to build our clean energy future.

And in fact, as of last year, New Mexico ranked sixth in the nation for growth in manufacturing, something that I think we can be really proud of, and now fifth in manufacturing wage growth, which is even better.

The higher the quality of the jobs - sometimes I like to say, not just jobs, but careers - that's what really matters.

These manufacturing jobs and wages go straight into building strong and stable communities.

Almost 30,000 people now are employed by manufacturing in New Mexico, and the revenue is impressive as well.

In 2025, $15 billion of goods were exported from New Mexico, and all of this - the wages, the revenue - gets reinvested in the families, the neighborhoods, the communities that are represented in this room.

The truth is that the future of American manufacturing is being built right here in places like Los Lunas, in places like Valencia County and in Central New Mexico as a whole.

And rural communities across New Mexico and across the country are proving that innovation doesn't just live in big cities.

Innovation thrives where hard work, advanced technology, and strong local partnerships come together.

This community is an incredible example of that, because we have all three of those right here, and so let's keep working together to keep delivering this kind of future. And I think this is just the beginning for New Mexico, leading the way in manufacturing, not just in the region, but in the country.

Thank you.

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