Nation

Governors Issue Joint Letter Against Proposal To Disrupt State Marketplaces & Limit Access To Health Insurance

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Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham

STATE News:

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek issued a joint letter to Peter Nelson, Director of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).

The letter is in response to the Marketplace Integrity and Affordability Proposed Rule (CMS-9884-P “Proposed Rule”), which would restrict states’ ability to regulate their health insurance marketplaces, causing confusion among customers, limiting enrollment options for low-income families, Read More

Luján Convenes Roundtable Discussion On Tariffs With Business Leaders And Tours Veterans Integration Center

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Sen. Ben Ray Luján holds a roundtable discussion Tuesday with business leaders at the Albuquerque Hispano Chamber of Commerce. Courtesy photo

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

ALBUQUERQUE — U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), a member of the Senate Committee on Finance, held a roundtable discussion Tuesday with business leaders and workers on President Trump’s “reckless tariffs and its impacts on the New Mexico economy” at the Albuquerque Hispano Chamber of Commerce. During the roundtable, Luján engaged in a conversation with representatives from the chambers of commerce to hear Read More

Stansbury, Warren, Democratic Leaders Introduce Bill To Rein In Musk, Special Government Employees (SGEs)

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U.S. Rep. Melanie Stansbury

STATE News:

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Rep. Melanie Stansbury (NM-01) and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) introduced the SGE Ethics Enforcement & Reform (SEER) Act, a bill to strengthen transparency and ethics requirements for Special Government Employees (SGEs). The bill would rein in Elon Musk by restricting certain SGEs from officially communicating with agencies and offices that regulate or contract with large companies owned by the SGE. 

Reps. Stephen Lynch (MA-08), Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC), Betty McCollum (MN-04), and Rashida Tlaib (MI-12) joined Read More

Luján Resolution Highlights National Public Health Week

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U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Luján

U.S. SENATE News:

Washington D.C. — U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) introduced a resolution highlighting National Public Health Week, celebrated April 7 to April 13 this year.

This resolution is meant to raise awareness about the importance of public health amid the firing by the Trump administration of nearly 25 percent of the workforce at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the elimination of critical subagencies at HHS that keep Americans healthy.

Sen. Luján’s resolution also outlines issues facing the U.S. including pandemic preparedness, access Read More

Final Chimps From New Mexico Lab Arrive At Sanctuary

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Faylene, one of the Asset chimpanzees previously used in experiments at Alamogordo Primate Facility moved in February to Chimp Haven sanctuary in Louisiana. Courtesy Kierstin Luckett/Lauren Rager

Animal Protection News:

WASHINGTON D.C. — Humane World for Animals, Humane World Action Fund and Animal Protection New Mexico are delighted to announce that the remaining chimpanzees from the Alamogordo Primate Facility in New Mexico have been successfully relocated to Chimp Haven, a 200-acre forested sanctuary in Louisiana dedicated to providing a natural and enriching environment for Read More

Heinrich Introduces Legislation To Save Lives, Protect Communities From Gun Violence

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U.S. SENATE News:

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) introduced his Gas-Operated Semi-Automatic Firearms Exclusion (GOSAFE) Act and bipartisan Banning Unlawful Machinegun Parts (BUMP) Act, commonsense legislation designed to protect communities from gun violence, while safeguarding Americans’ constitutional right to own a firearm for legitimate self-defense, hunting, and sporting purposes.

“For too long, Congress has failed to stem the onslaught of mass shootings. Our work in the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act was critically important, but more must be Read More

Posts From The Road: Dantes View And Artists Drive At Death Valley National Park

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Artists Palette: Artists Palette is the star viewpoint on the nine mile Artists Drive area of Death Valley National Park. This view features some of the most colorful rock formations within the national park. The formations are a result of volcanic activity millions of years ago and the array of colors are caused by oxidation of the various minerals found in the rocks. A scale of the scene is seen by two groups of visitors who are located near the center of the photo who were getting a closer view of the rock formations and colors in the area from a ridge line of white rock. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com Read More

State Awarded Competitive Community Care Corps Grant

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ALTSD News:

SANTA FE — New Mexico has been selected to receive $100,000 from the National Community Care Corps to strengthen senior services in rural areas of the state.

New Mexico’s Aging and Long-Term Services Department (ALTSD) is one of 23 organizations chosen from a pool of 122 national applicants to receive funding. Grant recipients were determined through a highly competitive process that prioritized innovation, community need, and a commitment to serving diverse and underserved populations.

The Community Care Corps is a nationwide collaboration between the Administration for Read More

Heinrich Delivers Opening Remarks At Nomination Hearing On Dr. Dario Gil For DOE Under Secretary Of Science & Preston Wells Griffith III For DOE Under Secretary Of Energy

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Heinrich delivers opening remarks in April 10 hearing to consider DOE nominations. Courtesy photo

U.S. SENATE News:

WASHINGTON, D.C. — In his opening remarks during the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee’s nomination hearing to consider Dr. Dario Gil for the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Under Secretary of Science and Preston Wells Griffith III for DOE’s Under Secretary of Energy, U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Ranking Member of the Committee, sought assurances from the nominees to follow the law as enacted by Congress.

In addition to noting the importance of the Under Read More

Wernicke: Donate Life

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Alejandra Wernicke of Los Alamos meets her kidney donor 10 months after her transplant. Courtesy photo

By JAMES WERNICKE
Grateful Husband
Los Alamos

April is National Donate Life Month. For my family, it’s more than an awareness campaign. Organ donation gave my family a future. In 2017, my wife Alejandra’s kidneys were failing. Dialysis was keeping her alive, but just barely—every week was a cycle of exhaustion, nausea, and the creeping fear that time was running out. In 2019, we got the call that she had a living donor match.

Her donor was a former drug addict who had not only turned his own life Read More