Politics

CIR Statement On Proposed State Department Budget

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By CHUCK CASE
President of the Board of Directors
Santa Fe Council on International Relations
 
Since its founding in 1965, the Council on International Relations (CIR), has hosted international visitors through the State Department’s International Visitors Leadership Program (IVLP). This venerable program has been a key element in citizen diplomacy between our country and other countries worldwide for the past 77 years, described by the State Department itself as its “premier professional exchange program.”
 
Approximately 5,000 emerging leaders visit the United
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Letter To The Editor: Zero = A Lot? PAC Math

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By DAVID NORTH
Los Aamos
 
If “a lot of these projects are going to be self-sufficient” as claimed by a board member of the PAC pushing the rec bond, why do consultants to the County say all five will lose money?

That “self-sufficient” quote appeared in a March 23 front-page Los Alamos Daily Post article. Anticipated annual costs include $546,210 for the rec center, $298,376 for the leisure pool, $37,432 for the splashpad, and $60,695 for the baseball fields. That’s a tidy $942,713 total.

The losses will have to be covered by the County every year for as long

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Udall, Blumenthal, Markey Call On Trump To Withdraw Ricketts’ Nomination For Deputy Commerce Secretary

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U.S. SENATE News:
 
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senators Tom Udall (D-N.M.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) have called on President Donald Trump to withdraw his nomination of Todd Ricketts to serve as Deputy Secretary of Commerce, saying that Ricketts’ “actions to date suggest he is unfit to be confirmed.”
 
In calling for the nomination to be withdrawn, the senators cited Ricketts’ failure to respond to their inquires into his reported heavy involvement with a Super PAC and associated dark money group that have spent millions on behalf of
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Udall, Heinrich, Lujan Grisham Announce $1.6 Million To UNM To Train STEM Students And Workers For Labs Jobs In Microsystems Technology

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U.S. SENATE News:
 
WASHINGTON, D.C. ― U.S. Senators Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich and U.S. Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham have announced a funding award of $1.6 million to the University of New Mexico to train STEM workers for jobs specializing in the development of microsystems.
 
The money will go to UNM’s Southwest Center for Microsystems Education (SCME) program, which provides materials, models, and professional development activities for microsystem technicians to develop a workforce that is prepared for research
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Letter To The Editor: Immigrant Is Not A Bad Word

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By That Concerned Citizen
Los Alamos
 
Dear Mr. Savage,
 
I am glad to see that you acknowledge the constitution and call human beings born in the US “citizens” (link).
 
In the present political climate in this country (including the present administration and immigration enforcement), there are areas where it is viewed differently. Way too often the news reports White Straight Americans (predominantly among those who voted for Mr. Trump) equate people who do not look “acceptable” to them to terrorists or illegal immigrants and are aggressive against them. The present administration
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Council Tables Immigration/Refugee Resolution

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The proposed resolution on the treatment of immigrants and refugees in the U.S. unleashed a firestorm of comments and emotions during the regular County Council meeting Tuesday night in Council Chambers. The resolution stated, ‘It is our moral obligation to treat all refugees and immigrants as we would be treated, with justice and compassion.’ Its stance on immigration and refugees spurred shouts of anger and tears of gratitude from citizens throughout the discussion on the resolution. Support and opposition for the resolution seemed Read More

Heinrich Statement On Steve Bannon Removal From National Security Council

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

  • ‘Mr. Bannon has rightly been demoted and removed from the National Security Council, but he never should have been there in the first place.’ –U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), a member of the Senate Armed Service Committee, released the following statement on news reports that Steve Bannon, President Donald Trump’s chief political strategist, has been removed from the National Security Council (NSC). In February, Senator Heinrich led a letter to Secretary of Defense James Mattis Read More

Heinrich Requests Answers From Trump Administration On Children Separated From Deported Parents

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U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich
 
U.S. SENATE News:
 
WASHINGTON, D.C. ― U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) is requesting the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to provide data within 30 days regarding the effect of the increased immigration enforcement actions on children of deported parents and how the Trump Administration identifies and assists children in need of support. 
 
Heinrich joined a group of 15 Senators led by U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) in sending a letter
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State Auditor Tim Keller Issues Fraud Scheme Alert

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State Auditor Tim Keller
 
STATE News:
 
SANTA FE ― State Auditor Tim Keller has issued an alert to government agencies being targeted by a fraud scheme.
 
Agencies are being asked to change vendor payment information to divert funds to a different payee, bank or method of payment. The scam has already resulted in the loss of more than $200,000 from one public school.
 
“Unfortunately, we’re hearing about a scam that preys on government employees who are being tricked into diverting money to imposters posing as legitimate businesses,” Keller said. “We’re reminding folks
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