Nation

Heinrich Raises Questions On Potential Ethics Violations By Senior Official At Department Of Interior

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From the Office of U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich:

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, sent a letter to the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) Secretary Burgum requesting a briefing from the Department’s Designated Ethics Official (DAO) regarding actions of Karen Budd-Falen, the Department’s Associate Deputy Secretary, that raise serious concerns about her compliance with federal ethics laws and standards.

“I am writing to express deep concern regarding reports that a senior official at the Department Read More

Posts From the Road: The Castle Rock

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Castle Rock: Shown is the actual castle rock as seen from downtown Castle Rock, Colo. The rock is a prominent landmark from which the city is named. Rock Park covers the land where the rock sits and has become a popular hiking destination for hikers. The views seen from the rock are spectacular. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com

Downtown Castle Rock: Downtown Castle Rock is viewed from the castle rock and is just blocks south of the rock landmark. Pikes Peak stands tall in Colorado Springs to the south. Interstate 25, which can be seen on the right side of the photo, passes through Castle Rock on Read More

Interior Secretary Designates Six New National Trails

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Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum

From the Department of the Interior:

          • New hiking, paddling and multi-use trails add 162.5 miles to the National Trails System 

WASHINGTON, D.C. — In celebration of Great Outdoors Month and National Trails Day on June 6, designated five new National Recreation Trails and one National Water Trail, adding 162.5 miles of hiking, paddling and outdoor recreation opportunities across five states.

The newly designated trails join a nationwide network of more than 1,350 National Recreation Trails found in every state, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico Read More

Rep. Vasquez Secures Win In Fight For Accountability & Answers From DOD On El Paso Airport Closure

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U.S. HOUSE News:

WASHINGTON, D.C. — On June 4, U.S. Rep. Gabe Vasquez (NM-02)—in his role as a member of the House Armed Services Committee—secured a critical, bipartisan win in his ongoing fight to get the accountability and answers New Mexicans deserve from the Department of Defense regarding the chaotic closure of the El Paso Airport in February 2026. 

During committee markup, Rep. Vasquez introduced an amendment to the Fiscal Year 2027 National Defense Authorization Act requiring the Department of Defense to provide a report on its coordination process with DHS and FAA, an explanation Read More

Los Alamos Helps Fire Up interplanetary Space Missions

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Artist’s rendering of NASA’s Dragonfly rotorcraft on the surface of Saturn’s moon Titan. The car-sized lander will explore Titan’s environment and study its complex chemistry. Courtesy/NASA/Johns Hopkins APL/Steve Gribben

LANL News:

  • Work is helping to power exploration into the cosmos

Within the recesses of a Los Alamos National Laboratory facility, a scientist studies a small ceramic pellet through layers of leaded glass. The pellet fits in the palm of a hand, but its purpose is anything but small. It is a plutonium-238 heat source, engineered to power scientific instruments in some Read More

U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich Releases Statement Ahead Of Oil And Gas Lease Sale In The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

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U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich

From the Office of U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich:

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, released the following statement Thursday ahead of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM)’s lease sale for the Coastal Plain of the Arctic Refuge today, June 5, which will open up the area’s 1.56 million acres for harmful drilling:

“I’ve been blessed to see the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge with my own eyes. It is deeply connected to the traditions and daily life of the people who have lived Read More

How Is The U.S. Modernizing The Nuclear Tip Of The Spear?

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A B61 Nuclear Bombs in a Bunker illustrates the unimaginable destructive power located in one storage bunker. Courtesy/Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists 2025

By Mark MacInnes
For the Los Alamos Daily Post

Adversaries and Urgency

As the United States confronts growing competition from China and Russia, much of the public discussion about nuclear deterrence focuses on missiles, submarines, and bombers. A recent online forum hosted by the Advanced Nuclear Weapons Alliance Deterrence Center highlighted a less visible challenge: rebuilding the industrial and scientific infrastructure Read More

Heinrich And Stansbury Announce House Passage & Senate Committee Advancement Of Legislation To Transfer Federal Land To Pueblos For Indian Pueblo Cultural Center

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U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) speaks in support of the Albuquerque Indian School Act at a Senate Committee on Indian Affairs hearing to consider pending legislation, June 3, 2026. Courtesy photo

NM Delegation News:

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and U.S. Rep. Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.) announced that their Albuquerque Indian School Act of 2025, which is cosponsored by U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), a member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, and U.S. Representative Teresa Leger Fernández (D-N.M.), passed the U.S. House of Representatives and Read More

Op-Ed: Protecting Our Right To Read

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By Rep. KATHLEEN CATES
District 44
Bernalillo & Sandoval Counties

Imagine walking into a library filled with thousands of books and never finding one with a character who looks like you. Out of all the books in a public library, not one featured a character who shared your lived experience.

Banning books is harmful because everyone should be able to easily find books with characters that represent them.

In the last year, 4,235 unique titles were challenged, making this the second highest number in the history of the American Library Association. The same report stated, ”39% of these challenged Read More

Luján Presses Chief Of Forest Service On Uranium Mining In Carson National Forest

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Senator Luján pressed Chief Tom Schultz on mining applications made by Gamma Resources. Watch full exchange here. Courtesy photo

U.S. SENATE News:

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), a member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, questioned Tom Schultz, Chief of the Forest Service, regarding the proposal to conduct uranium mining within the Carson National Forest by the Canadian-based uranium company, Gamma Resources Ltd. During the exchange, Sen. Luján pressed Chief Tom Schultz on Gamma Resources Ltd. and emphasized his commitment to Read More