Heinrich Secures Senate Passage of Over $112.9 Million for New Mexico, Bringing Total to $319.9 Million in FY26 Funding

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), a member of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee and Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on the Legislative Branch, welcomed Senate passage of the Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) Commerce, Justice, and Science; Interior and Environment; and Energy and Water Development Appropriations Bills. Altogether, these three appropriations bills include $112,982,000 Heinrich secured for New Mexico, including Congressionally Directed Spending for 34 local projects.

"As a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, I've spent months negotiating and fighting to secure funding for critical investments in New Mexico that support our local law enforcement with the tools they need to keep our communities safe, help rural and Tribal communities improve their water infrastructure and drinking water, support wildfire prevention and recovery efforts, and protect local wildlife habit. Additionally, I'm proud to have secured $59 million for the Navajo-Gallup Water Supply Project to ensure construction can continue - while upholding the federal government's commitment to this project," said Heinrich, a member of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee.

Heinrich continued, "These investments reflect our values. And I will always fight for federal resources that lower costs, invest in our economy, and put New Mexico families first."

"While I wasn't able to pass my amendment to repeal a provision allowing a few Republican senators to collect hundreds of thousands of dollars for having their phone records lawfully collected as part of legitimate criminal investigations, I will not stop working to get this done -- because I will never allow anyone to fleece their pockets at the expense of hardworking New Mexicans," Heinrich concluded.

To date, Heinrich has secured $319,982,000 million for New Mexico in FY26 funding, including over $207 million already passed into law.

Heinrich also filed an amendment in the appropriations legislation to repeal U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune's (R-S.D.) 'Arctic Frost' provision, which allows Republican senators to collect $500,000 for every phone record that was previously, lawfully obtained. The amendment Heinrich filed mirrors his Anti-Cash Grab Act.

FY26 Commerce, Justice, and Science Key Points and Highlights

Heinrich successfully included $6.521 million in investments for the following 9 projects in the bill:

• $1,668,000 for the New Mexico Coalition of Sexual Assault Programs, Inc. to increase the capacity of the Statewide Sexual Assault Helpline and provide comprehensive, trauma-informed training and supervision for mental health professionals.

• $1,050,000 for the Bernalillo County Sheriff's Office to acquire forensic and crime scene reconstruction equipment that will improve community safety by ensuring quicker case resolutions and acting as a deterrent to future criminal activities.

• $1,000,000 for the City of Las Cruces to establish a new evidence processing lab to serve local and regional law enforcement agencies.

• $908,000 for the Albuquerque Police Department to expand its forensics capabilities to better serve local, state, and federal agencies.

• $629,000 for the City of Farmington to acquire forensic DNA and Narcotics identification equipment, training, and personnel to enhance the speed and efficacy of forensic testing.

• $533,000 for Eastern New Mexico University to add lighting and additional security cameras on campus to improve student safety.

• $350,000 for New Mexicans to Prevent Gun Violence to expand its youth gun violence prevention programs to reach more young people in Albuquerque.

• $268,000 for the Doña Ana County Sheriff's Office to purchase mobile, rapid-response trailers to respond to crimes in remote areas.

• $115,000 for the Gallup Police Department to purchase crime scene reconstruction equipment.

Additionally, Heinrich and U.S. Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) successfully included $1,000,000 million for the University of New Mexico, Office of the Medical Investigator to renovate its DNA processing lab and acquire new equipment to expand the forensic analyses available in New Mexico.

Heinrich, Luján, and U.S. Representative Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.) successfully included $1,031,000 for the New Mexico Department of Public Safety to expand NM State Police wireless capabilities inside their patrol vehicles.

Programmatic Highlights

Combatting Crimes on Tribal Lands: Heinrich successfully included language directing the Department of Justice (DOJ) to continue allocating additional resources to address the crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons, including providing sufficient funding to investigate, respond to, and prevent crimes in Tribal communities.

Fentanyl Tracking System: Heinrich successfully included language directing the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to develop a comprehensive fentanyl tracking system. That tracking system would include documentation of seizure location, chemical composition, probable or known manufacturing location, and probable or known point of entry into the United States. Currently, fentanyl interdiction is compiled at land ports of entry by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), but the DEA does not have readily accessible tracking data on the movement of illicit drugs within the U.S. or their point of origin. Requiring the compilation and organization of that data will complement DHS' work and improve our country's work to effectively combat the fentanyl crisis.

Firearm Straw Purchases Prevention: Heinrich successfully included language calling on the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) to continue its public awareness campaign to reduce firearm straw purchases at the retail level and to educate would-be straw purchasers of the penalties associated with knowingly participating in an illegal firearm purchase. This language builds on Heinrich's work to negotiate and author the provision in the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act that increased criminal penalties for straw purchases and made it illegal to traffic firearms out of the United States. To date, more than 1,000 defendants have been charged by the Department of Justice because of those provisions, removing hundreds of firearms from the streets.

Removing Barriers to Lifesaving Medication: Heinrich successfully included language directing the DEA to take further action to remove barriers to access for opioid use disorder medications such as buprenorphine. The data clearly shows that prescriptions of medications for opioid use disorder significantly reduce the risk of overdose death, but despite their demonstrated effectiveness, approximately 87% of those suffering from opioid use disorder do not have a prescription for these lifesaving medications. The inclusion of this language will assist local medical and mental health providers and make medications, including buprenorphine, more accessible to New Mexicans.

FY26 Energy and Water Development Key Points and Highlights

Heinrich successfully included $14.016 million in investments for the following 5 projects in the bill:

• $10,657,000 for the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, in partnership with the Eastern New Mexico Water Utility Authority, to design and construct the Eastern New Mexico Rural Water Project to provide reliable domestic water to communities in eastern New Mexico and Cannon Air Force Base.

• $1,959,000 for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, in partnership with the Middle Rio Grande Endangered Species Collaborative Program, to provide scientific, conservation, and educational services to support endangered species recovery activities in the Middle Rio Grande Basin.

• $500,000 for the New Mexico State University to support the Navajo Nation's agricultural advanced energy transition design study.

• $500,000 for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to perform construction activities to support wildfire prevention and restoration in the Middle Rio Grande Bosque in and around the City of Albuquerque.

• $400,000 for the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology to investigate novel methods to use photo-electrolysis to produce zero-emissions hydrogen and critical minerals from brackish waters.

Additionally, Heinrich and Luján successfully included $59,000,000 for the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation to design and construct the Navajo-Gallup Water Supply Project.

Programmatic Highlights

Support For Vital Water Access: Heinrich successfully secured bill language to increase this year's authorization for the Navajo-Gallup Water Supply Project to $1.815 billion and to place an expenditure cap on the City of Gallup's portion of the project, to ensure construction can continue and that the Federal government will uphold their commitment to the project.

Oversight of Federal Water Infrastructure: Heinrich successfully included report language that provides key oversight into federal water infrastructure throughout New Mexico, including the El Vado Dam and the San Juan-Chama Project.

WIPP Road Repairs: Heinrich successfully included $10 million to improve roads leading to and from the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) in southeastern New Mexico, through recommended payments from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to the State of New Mexico. Since joining the Senate Appropriations Committee, Heinrich has been a steadfast advocate for appropriating these funds. This will be the first time that funds have been appropriated for this purpose since 2014. These repairs will improve safety for WIPP workers, shipments, and the surrounding communities.

Southwest Border Regional Commission: Heinrich successfully included $5.5 million for the Southwest Border Regional Commission (SBRC). Since joining the Senate Appropriations Committee, Heinrich successfully secured the first-ever congressional investments to finally allow the SBRC to start its operations.

National Labs: Heinrich helped to include $8.4 billion for the DOE Office of Science, which supports both Sandia National Laboratories (Sandia) and Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). Over the course of his tenure in Congress, Heinrich has helped double the total budgets for Sandia and LANL, significantly increasing the total employees and local economic impact of both labs.

FY26 Interior and Environment Key Points and Highlights

Heinrich successfully included $6.1 million in investments for the following 9 projects in the bill:

• $1,075,000 for the City of Truth or Consequences to replace aging water lines.

• $1,000,000 for the Pueblo of Tesuque to remove Siberian elm trees to restore the Rio Tesuque bosque to its natural vegetation regime.

• $1,000,000 for the Village of Questa to construct a well house for a new municipal drinking water well and to prevent water contamination.

• $1,000,000 for the Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority to expand the sewer collection system in the community of 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 beaver, a culturally significant species.

• $525,000 for the Taos Pueblo to purchase forestry equipment to protect homes in the Pueblo's wildland urban interface.

• $500,000 for the Eight Northern Indian Pueblos Council to collaborate with affiliated tribes to conduct ethnographic studies on the Caja del Rio Plateau.

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

• $150,000 for the Desert Tortoise Council to work with the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge to create Bolson tortoise habitat.

Additionally, Heinrich and Luján included $4.39 million in investments for the following 4 projects in the bill:

• $2,090,000 for the City of Rio Rancho to expand its Aquifer Reinjection System.

• $1,000,000 for the Pueblo of Zuni to make improvements to their drinking water system.

• $800,000 for the Enchanted Forest Mutual Domestic Water Consumers Association to develop a new water source pump house and appurtenances and replace distribution lines.

• $500,000 for the New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs to upgrade the drinking water treatment system at Fort Selden.

Heinrich and Stansbury also successfully included $1.092 million for the Town of Bernalillo to rehabilitate its current wastewater facilities.

Finally, Heinrich, Luján, and U.S. Representative Gabe Vasquez (D-N.M.) successfully included $1.092 million for the City of Belen to rehabilitate its wastewater treatment plant.

Programmatic Highlights

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 will 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 Education: 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 last year, Heinrich secured the release of FY 2025 funds. This bill will ensure continued investment for IAIA through FY26, supporting its mission to advance Indigenous arts, culture, and education for future generations.

Historic Preservation: Heinrich also successfully secured an increase in funding for the Tribal Historic Preservation Offices, totaling $23,750,000.

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). Heinrich recently pressed the U.S. Forest Chief on the Administration's plan to entirely 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.

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