Nation

Luján, Warnock, Merkley Lead Colleagues In Requesting Answers On Unlawful Head Start Funding Delays

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U.S. SENATE News:

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Sens. Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) led 19 Senate colleagues in a letter to Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Russell Vought demanding answers regarding delays in disbursing Head Start funds, which the Government Accountability Office found violated the Impoundment Control Act. In the letter, the senators highlight how these delays, worsened by the government shutdown, forced programs to reduce services, temporarily Read More

Luján, Fischer, Lummis Introduce Bipartisan Bill To Waive Local Cost Share For Fires Started By Federal Government

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NATIONAL News:

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Sens. Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), and Cynthis Lummis (R-Wyo.) announced the introduction of the bipartisan Responsible Wildland Fire Recovery Act, legislation to boost federal wildfire recovery efforts. The legislation would allow the Secretary of Agriculture to waive all cost share requirements for U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) programs as a result of wildfires started by controlled burns and other land management activities conducted by the USDA on National Forest System land. Current law does not fully cover remediation Read More

Heinrich, Kelly Introduce Anti-Cash Grab Act To Repeal ‘Arctic Frost’ Provision

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U.S. SENATE News:

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on the Legislative Branch, and U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) led 26 Senate colleagues to introduce the Anti-Cash Grab Act, legislation that will repeal a provision — quietly added into the Senate government funding bill by U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) at the last minute — that allows senators to collect $500,000 for every phone record lawfully obtained.

“While Democrats were fighting to make health care more affordable and help working Read More

Christopher Blanchette Appointed Program Director for NACo Public Promise Insurance

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Christopher Blanchette, National Program Director for NACo Public Promise Insurance. Courtesy photo

NACO News:

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The National Association of Counties (NACo) and NACo EDGE proudly announce the appointment of Christopher Blanchette as National Program Director for NACo Public Promise Insurance. Blanchette brings more than 12 years of experience in the employee benefits and insurance industries, with a career distinguished by roles at leading organizations including Aetna and Marsh Insurance.

Born and raised in Waterbury, Connecticut, Blanchette is a graduate of Read More

Luján, Daines Introduce Bipartisan Bill To Ensure Wildfire Prevention Is Conducted By Trained, Local Experts

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NATIONAL News:

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), a member of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, alongside U.S. Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.), introduced the Local Employment Access for our Forests (LEAF) Act of 2025 to require the U.S. Forest Service to give preference to local contractors for hazardous fuel mitigation projects and help prevent wildfires. This legislation would help boost local economies by prioritizing local contractors and ensure we keep jobs, expertise, and recovery dollars in the communities most impacted by wildfire. Read More

Senators Luján, Curtis, Kim Introduce Bipartisan Legislation To Develop And Deploy Innovative Wildfire Prevention Technologies

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From the Office of U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Luján:

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) and John Curtis (R-Utah) introduced the Fire Innovation Unit Act, bipartisan legislation that establishes a deployment and demonstration pilot program for new and innovative wildfire prevention, detection, communication, response, and mitigation technologies.

The Fire Innovation Unit Act requires the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of the Interior to create a Fire Innovation Unit to coordinate among federal agencies to ensure that piloted wildfire technology is carefully Read More

U.S. Rep. Leger Fernández Introduces ‘No Payola For Senators Act’ To Repeal ‘Outrageous Self-Payout Scheme’

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U.S. Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández

From the Office of U.S. Rep. Leger Fernández:

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández (D-NM) introduced the “No Payola Act” alongside 37 co-sponsors in the House – legislation to repeal a provision slipped into the government funding package that would send millions of taxpayer dollars directly into the personal bank accounts of eight U.S. Senators.

Unlike Republicans—who voted to protect and preserve this secret Senate payout and then introduced a bill to provide political cover for their vote—Rep. Leger Fernández’s No Payola Act doesn’t Read More

New Documents Added To Los Alamos Legacy Cleanup Electronic Public Reading Room On Behalf Of EM-LA

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LANL News:

Per regulatory requirements, this email is to notify you that new documents have been added to the Los Alamos Legacy Cleanup Contract Electronic Public Reading Room.

All legacy cleanup documents required to be posted after April 30, 2018, are available on the site linked above.

For legacy cleanup documents that were posted prior to April 30, 2018, please visit the LANL electronic public reading room.

Submittal of Site Deletion Requests for ACID-SMA-1.05 and 2M-SMA-1.67
https://ext.em-la.doe.gov/GovFTPFiles/api/GetFiles/GetFile?fileName=EMID-703983_N3B-2025-0342_EPA_Deletion_Request_ACID-SMA-1.05_2M-SMA-1_111025.pdf Read More

U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich’s Bill To Block Illicit Vapes & Tobacco Products From China Becomes Law

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U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich

U.S. SENATE News:

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), a member of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee, announced that his Ensuring the Necessary Destruction of (END) Illicit Chinese Tobacco Act was signed into law.

The provision grants the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) clear authority to destroy adulterated, misbranded, or counterfeit tobacco products — such as unauthorized e-cigarettes produced in the People’s Republic of China and intercepted upon attempted import into the country. It was enacted as part of the Fiscal Year Read More

Los Alamos-based UbiQD Appoints Veteran Finance Leader Tony Beams As Chief Financial Officer

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UbiQD CEO Hunter McDaniel, left, and newly appointed CFO Tony Beams. Courtesy/UbiQD, Inc.

UbiQD’s newly appointed CFO Tony Beams, left, speaking with CEO Hunter McDaniel. Courtesy/UbiQD, Inc.

BUSINESS News:

  • Veteran finance leader joins to support UbiQD’s next phase of commercial growth in agriculture and solar sectors

UbiQD®, a global leader in quantum dot technology, today announced the appointment of Tony Beams as Chief Financial Officer (CFO). Beams brings a strong track record of financial leadership and operational expertise in sustainability-focused technology businesses, Read More