Heinrich Opposes DHS Funding Lacking Needed Reforms, While Securing Senate Passage of Over $67 Million for New Mexico, Bringing Total to $387 Million in FY26 Funding

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), a member of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee, voted against an extension of funding for the Department of Homeland Security that does not yet include needed reforms to address lawlessness by the agency, while also welcoming Senate passage of the Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) Defense; Labor, Health and Human Services (HHS), Education, and Related Agencies; Transportation, Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and Related Agencies; Financial Services and General Government; and State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Bills, as well as a package of health care legislation and Heinrich's repeal of the 'Arctic Frost' provision. Altogether, the five appropriations bills passed by the Senate today include $67 million Heinrich secured for New Mexico, including Congressionally Directed Spending for 56 local projects.

"As a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, I've worked hard to negotiate and pass strong, bipartisan appropriations bills that deliver for New Mexico. And I am extremely proud of what I secured for our communities in the five appropriations bills moving forward today," said Heinrich. "But when it comes to the Department of Homeland Security, I meant what I said: Enough is enough. I cannot in good conscience vote to fund the lawlessness we've all seen in video after video - not for two weeks or even one more day. As we go forward, I am committed to doing everything I can to push for the reforms we need to rein in DHS and get them focused on cartels and human traffickers, and not jailing five-year-olds like Liam Ramos or killing folks like Alex Pretti and Renee Good."

Heinrich continued, "Included in today's legislation was my bill to repeal the 'Arctic Frost' provision, which would have let a few Republican senators collect hundreds of thousands of dollars of taxpayer money for legally obtained phone records. Getting this done is a win for taxpayers and a rejection of an ill-conceived cash grab that would have taken money away from public safety and used it to line politician's pockets."

"Today we also passed several important health care provisions that will improve pediatric care, prevent maternal deaths, protect rural hospitals and ground ambulance medical services, safeguard access to affordable prescription drugs, and continue the ability of New Mexicans to use telehealth to access the care they need," Heinrich concluded.

To date, Heinrich has secured $387 million for New Mexico in FY26 funding, including over $319,982,000 already signed into law earlier this month and in November 2025.

Successful Repeal of the 'Arctic Frost' Amendment

Heinrich-led legislation to repeal the 'Arctic Frost' provision was included in the Senate-passed legislation. The 'Arctic Frost' provision, which was passed within the FY26 Legislative Branch Appropriations Bill over Heinrich's objections, allowed a few specific Republican senators to collect $500,000 for every phone record that was previously, lawfully obtained.

This follows legislation Heinrich and U.S. Senator Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) introduced last November, the Anti-Cash Grab Act, to repeal the 'Arctic Frost' provision, which Heinrich attempted to pass by unanimous consent in November and by amendment earlier this month.

FY26 Defense
Programmatic Highlights

Supporting Service Members and Families: Heinrich is a strong advocate of several provisions included in the bill to support service members and their families, including:

• Fully funding a 3.8% pay raise for servicemembers, as well as the junior enlisted pay raise.

• Fully funding a 1% pay raise for civilians that was not included in the President's budget request.

• $2.7 billion for defense medical research, including $1.27 billion for the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program (CDMRP). This is an additional $1.7 billion above the President's request and more than $770 million above fiscal year 2025.

• An increase of $87.5 million for the National Guard Youth Challenge program, which operates in New Mexico.

• And $53 million for the STARBASE educational STEM program that currently operates at Kirtland and Holloman Air Force Base and is launching at Cannon Air Force Base in New Mexico.

Military Readiness and Resilience: Heinrich successfully included key report language and $183 million for the Readiness and Environmental Protection Integration Program (REPI). This report language and funding builds on the success of REPI to improve resiliency at military installations such as Cannon Air Force Base and Melrose Air Force Range in Clovis, New Mexico. The success of the REPI program in Clovis led to Cannon, Melrose, and the surrounding 2.4 million acres of land being designated as the "Eastern New Mexico Sentinel Landscape." The Eastern New Mexico Sentinel Landscape is one of five new landscapes designated by the Sentinel Landscapes Partnership - a coalition comprised of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Department of Defense, and Department of the Interior with the aim of advancing sustainable land use practices and protecting vital water resources.

Space Modeling, Simulation, and Analysis Hub: Building on success from the Fiscal Year 2024 Defense Appropriations Bill, Heinrich successfully included funds to support the ongoing development of a Space Modeling, Simulation, and Analysis (S-MS&A) hub that models and assesses the current and immediate future environments, potential activities, and responses, and facilitates discussion and understanding about today's fight during and in pre-combat operations. Past appropriations to this program have supported the Air Force Research Lab's Space Vehicles Directorate on Kirtland Air Force Base in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Defense and Space Investments: Heinrich successfully included multiple funding increases, totaling $417 million, for the research and development of critical capabilities such as satellite maneuvering and operations, directed energy technologies, artificial intelligence satellite health monitoring capabilities, space domain awareness, creating Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility's (SCIFs), and more. Past appropriations to this program have funded Defense projects at New Mexico-based companies, including BlueHalo, Verus Research, NewSpace Nexus, RS21, Roadrunner Venture Studios, and more.

Defense Research Partnership with Academia: Heinrich successfully included $20 million for the Defense Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (DEPSCoR) to address Department of Defense mission needs. New Mexico State University and the University of New Mexico have both received competitive awards from this program in the past. Heinrich also secured $20 million for the Hispanic Serving Research Universities (HSRU) Cohort Programs to support graduate recruitment, retention, and professional development through experimental and onsite learning with Department of Defense Laboratories. This funding will also help develop bridge programs that seamlessly tie Ph.D. completion with continued, extended post-doctoral research and conduct scholarly networking activities.

Small Business Development: Heinrich successfully included $38.2 million in funding for APEX Accelerators to support their network of dedicated professionals who provide one-on-one business counseling, online tools, and training webinars to small businesses to navigate the complex defense and broader government contracting markets. Heinrich also secured $17 million for the Department of Defense Indian Incentive Program to support their work creating opportunities for Native entity owned small businesses to sub-contract, partner with, and gain valuable contracting experience and performance with larger prime contractors.

PFAS Testing and Remediation: Heinrich successfully secured a $159 million program increase to the President's budget request for PFAS testing and remediation. At least 700 military sites in the United States are known or suspected to have PFAS contamination from DoD activities - including six in New Mexico.

FY26 Labor, HHS, Education, and Related Agencies
Key Points and Highlights

Heinrich successfully included $14.519 million in investments for the following 14 projects in the bill:

• $4,000,000 for Mesalands Community College to train skilled technicians for the energy workforce pipeline.

• $2,677,000 for Dar a Luz Birth Center to expand its facilities to serve more patients.

• $2,303,000 for the Pueblo of Pojoaque to expand its existing behavioral health facility.

• $1,484,000 for the New Mexico Poison Control Center to expand its substance use disorder services and increase outreach to rural communities.

• $1,200,000 for SMART Local Union No. 49 to enhance and expand specialized apprenticeship programs.

• $500,000 for Future Focused Education to boost youth mental health support through Youth Mental Health and Peer Support internships.

• $480,000 for New Mexico State University to provide professional development to K-12 teachers across New Mexico.

• $331,000 for Taos Pueblo Health and Community Services to expand the Recovery Works! Program, a peer-led recovery program for Taos Pueblo Tribal members.

• $321,000 for Dual Language Education of New Mexico to develop and implement professional development programs related to literacy and math education.

• $300,000 for the National Alliance Mental Illness (NAMI) Albuquerque to hire additional staff to increase mental health and substance use treatment services.

• $273,000 for the Early Childhood Center of Excellence at Santa Fe Community College to expand APRENDE to boost early childhood educators statewide.

• $250,000 for New Mexico State University to develop best practices for a statewide bilingual education framework.

• $250,000 for Three Rivers Education Foundation to provide early childhood literacy training and online resources for families.

• $150,000 for the New Mexico Reentry Center to provide job training for individuals facing employment barriers due to past incarceration.

Additionally, Heinrich and U.S. Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) successfully included $5.377 million for the following 8 projects:

• $1,135,000 for the Central New Mexico Community College to offer career and technical education courses and credentialing for jobs in the energy sector.

• $1,135,000 for the New Mexico Chronic Disease Prevention Council to expand access to behavioral health and substance use treatment services for individuals experiencing homelessness.

• $762,000 for New Mexico State University and the New Mexico Artificial Intelligence Education Alliance to develop K-12 AI curricula and professional development for educators across the state.

• $750,000 for Gallup Community Health to expand its specialty care and behavioral health services.

• $512,000 for the University of New Mexico to expand its teacher residency training.

• $500,000 for the Hispano Roundtable of New Mexico, in partnership with Explora Science Center and Children's Museum, to offer science and mathematics programs.

• $333,000 for Las Cumbres Community Services to expand its Grandparents Raising Grandchildren program to serve families in northern New Mexico.

• $250,000 for Explora to expand career-focused programming to prepare New Mexico youth for high-wage careers in science, technology, engineering, and skilled trades.

Programmatic Highlights

Strengthening the Health Care Workforce: Heinrich secured $1.4 billion for Health Workforce training, which included $40 million for the Substance Use Disorder Treatment Recovery (STAR) Loan Repayment Program. This investment provides loan repayment assistance to professionals in the substance use disorder workforce who provide direct care in either a Mental Health Professional Shortage Area or a county where the overdose death rate exceeds the national average.

Heinrich also secured $130 million for the National Health Service Corps to support competitive awards for health care clinicians dedicated to working in underserved communities in urban, rural, and Tribal areas. Funding for the National Health Service Corps was championed by Heinrich when he led six other Senators in a letter to Congressional leadership supporting robust funding for this crucial health workforce initiative last year.

And Heinrich secured $8 million for Certified Nurse Midwives within Advanced Nursing Education to increase the number of Certified Nurse Midwives and grow the maternal and perinatal nursing workforce by funding scholarships for students and registered nurses.

Improving Maternal and Child Health: Heinrich secured $1.2 billion for Maternal and Child Health programs, including $603,584,000 for the Maternal and Child Health Services Block Grant to improve access to care for mothers, children, and their families; reduce infant mortality; provide pre- and post-natal care; support screening and health assessments for children; and provide systems of care for children with special health care needs.

Heinrich also secured $163,667,000 for special projects of regional and national significance in the Maternal and Child Health Services Block Grant for targeted initiatives such as addressing fetal alcohol syndrome, providing for fetal infant and child death reviews, funding oral health, and implementing state maternal health innovation grants.

Heinrich included $5 million to continue Newborn Essentials Support Toolkits (NEST), a public-private partnership program to improve maternal mental health and decrease financial stress for new moms during the postpartum period. New Mexico was one of three states selected for this pilot program in 2021 to provide high-need parents with essentials such as diapers, wipes, baby clothes, baby blankets, baby thermometers, baby nail clippers, lotions, creams, perineal wash bottles, and postpartum pads prior to hospital discharge.

Supporting Rural Health Care: Heinrich secured $110,975,000 for the Rural Health Outreach Program to support projects that demonstrate new and innovative modes of outreach in rural areas, such as integration and coordination of health services. Heinrich also secured $145 million in continued funding for the Rural Communities Opioid Response Program. This comes after Republicans' One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which enacted massive Medicaid cuts and is expected to devastate rural hospitals, potentially causing the closure of 6 to 8 rural hospitals in New Mexico.

Addressing the Opioid Epidemic and Infectious Disease: Heinrich secured $7.4 billion for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), of which $4.2 billion is allocated for substance use treatment services and State Opioid Response Grants. This comes shortly after the Trump Administration attempted to cancel approximately $2 billion in federal grants for mental health and substance use treatment.

Heinrich also secured over $1.3 billion to support the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) National Center for HIV, Viral Hepatitis, Sexually Transmitted Diseases, and Tuberculosis Prevention, of which $23 million is dedicated to activities to address infectious diseases and the opioid epidemic. The CDC's Divisions for Opioid Related Infectious Disease Prevention works to combat infectious diseases commonly associated with injection drug use in areas most impacted by the opioid crisis. Heinrich's fight for this funding rejects President Trump's sweeping and devastating proposed cuts that would have halved the CDC's budget and limited the agency's lifesaving work.

Funding Medical Research: Heinrich was proud to support increased funding for groundbreaking science and medical research at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), rejecting President Trump's 40% proposed cut. This bill included $47.2 billion for the NIH, money which will support advancements in cancer care and detection, rare diseases, pediatric care, and more.

Supporting Early Childhood Learning: Heinrich secured increased funding for federal early childhood programs that help make child care more affordable. This includes $8.8 billion in funding for the Child Care and Development Block Grant, an $85 million increase over fiscal year 2025 and $12.4 billion for Head Start, an $85 million increase over previous levels. This funding will bolster state efforts to expand access to child care for working families and defies the Trump Administration's sustained effort to attack and dismantle Head Start across the country.

Protecting Public Education: Heinrich rejected President Trump's efforts to dismantle the Department of Education by helping secure language in the bill that bars the Department of Education from transferring its fundamental responsibilities to other agencies and increasing funding by $217 million above last year's levels. It also requires the Department of Education to maintain staffing levels necessary to deliver for students, educators, and communities across the country.

Critically, Heinrich was proud to ensure that key federal funding streams for public schools were increased so that our students and educators have the resources they need for success. The bill increases funding for Title I-A grants by $20 million over previous year levels, which will benefit 87% of New Mexico's schools. The bill also increases funding for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act by $20 million over fiscal year 2025. An estimated 16.5% of New Mexico students are on an individualized education plan (IEP) and receive services under this program. New Mexico receives $120 million per year in IDEA funding from the Department of Education.

Heinrich also successfully ensured the bill rejects the President's attempted cuts within the Department of Education, including to the Office of Civil Rights, by maintaining level funding for this critical office that President Trump sought to slash by over a third.

Ensuring Affordability of Higher Education: Heinrich successfully protected programs that make higher education more affordable for students in New Mexico. This includes maintaining the maximum Pell Grant award at $7,395, funding TRIO at $1.2 billion, and providing GEAR UP with $388 million. These programs support first-generation and low-income students with the resources they need to get their degrees.

Heinrich also successfully ensured that his Postsecondary Student Success Grant maintained $45 million in funding. This program provides investments in evidence-based initiatives aimed at enhancing retention and completion rates for college students. President Trump sought to abolish this program completely.

FY26 Transportation, HUD, and Related Agencies
Key Points and Highlights

Heinrich successfully included $14.555 million in investments for the following 10 projects in the bill:

• $4,000,000 for Homewise, Inc to help moderate-income, first-time homebuyers purchase entry-level homes.

• $2,300,000 for the City of Socorro to replace aged and damaged waterlines.

• $2,073,000 for the City of Raton to upgrade the Raton Municipal Airport.

• $1,500,000 for DreamTree Projects, Inc to complete the final phase of renovations to the NEST building and purchase land for on-site permanent supportive housing.

• $1,500,000 for the Boys & Girls Club of San Juan County to renovate a community center.

• $1,000,000 for Serenity Mesa Youth Recovery Center to expand their facilities to support increased substance use crisis stabilization, treatment, and housing for adolescents and young adults.

• $850,000 for the Albuquerque Housing Authority to invest in necessary upgrades at public housing properties.

• $692,000 for the Northern Rio Grande National Heritage Area to conduct an affordable housing pilot project.

• $440,000 for Deming Silver Linings to provide emergency temporary housing for unhoused individuals.

• $200,000 for the Mesilla Valley Community of Hope to support individuals and families experiencing poverty and homelessness by providing affordable housing and wraparound services.

Additionally, Heinrich and Luján successfully included $16.31 million for the following 9 projects:

• $3,000,000 for Agri-Cultura Cooperative Network and La Cosecha CSA to create a Food Hub at the Sacred Roots farm site to create economic development opportunity in the local food system, provide education to students and community members, and increase access to healthy foods.

• $3,000,000 for Youth Development, Inc to build an Early Learning STEM Preschool to improve child development opportunities for children.

• $2,500,000 for Santa Fe County to develop a Permanent Supportive Housing project designed to meet the urgent needs of the region's unhoused population.

• $1,800,000 for the Town of Mountainair to rebuild, repave, and upgrade approximately two miles of downtown Mountainair's roadways.

• $1,600,000 for the City of Raton to conduct an interchange alignment study as part of the Ports-to-Plains Corridor Interstate Planning process.

• $1,500,000 for Tierra Del Sol Housing Corporation to complete the first phase of construction for an affordable housing project in Vado, New Mexico.

• $1,210,000 for City of Bloomfield to plan, design, and construct the expansion of East Blanco Boulevard in Bloomfield.

• $1,000,000 for the Pueblo of Acoma Housing Authority to construct new single-family homes for low-to-moderate income families on the Housing Authority's waiting list.

• $700,000 for Cuidando Los Niños of Albuquerque to expand its facility to house early childhood education and family wraparound services.

Heinrich also partnered with Members of the New Mexican Delegation in the House of Representatives to deliver $11.912 million in investments for the following 6 projects in the bill:

• $2,900,000 for the Pueblo of Acoma to repair housing for senior community members and provide ADA accommodations.

• $2,500,000 for the Anthony Water and Sanitation District to repair and construct wastewater infrastructure.

• $2,000,000 for the City of Albuquerque to establish a modular Shelter Stability site for seniors.

• $2,000,000 for the City of Albuquerque Health, Housing and Homelessness Department to improve security and accessibility at the city's largest homeless shelter.

• $1,512,000 for the Pueblo of Jemez to demolish hazardous buildings within the Pueblo.

• $1,000,000 for the Pueblo of Sandia to make improvements to the Middle Rio Grande Pueblos Irrigation and Acequia Infrastructure.

Programmatic Highlights

Protecting Rental Assistance: Heinrich successfully secured increased funding for the Tenant-Based Rental Assistance (Housing Choice Voucher) and Project-Based Rental Assistance, despite the Trump Administration's attempts to completely defund both programs. The Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) Program helps over 11,000 families in New Mexico afford rent. Heinrich also secured language urging HUD to expand resources to train public housing staff on how to use housing choice vouchers to make homeownership an attainable goal for residents of public housing.

Bolstering Tribal Transportation, Housing: Heinrich successfully included a $200 million increase in funding for the Tribal Transportation Program, which provides formula funding to Tribes for Tribal transportation projects. Heinrich also secured an increase of $10 million over FY24 funding for Tribal housing programs. These programs support affordable housing for Tribal communities, including rehabilitation and new housing construction, unique financing options mitigating the difficulties of purchasing a home on Tribal trust land, and rental assistance for Tribal veterans experiencing or at risk of homelessness.

Supporting Southwest Border Infrastructure Planning: Heinrich successfully included a $3 million investment in the Southwest Border Regional Commission (SBRC) for transportation infrastructure planning to support supply chain connectivity and economic development in southern New Mexico and along the southern border. This follows Heinrich's long-term focus on standing up, funding, and expanding the Southwest Border Regional Commission.

Addressing Homelessness: Heinrich successfully secured an increase of $366 million over FY24 funding for grant programs that address homelessness through emergency shelter, transitional and supportive housing, rapid re-housing, rental assistance and prevention, and supportive services. This follows and rejects the Trump Administration's attempts to make homelessness assistance funding inaccessible to service providers, including those in New Mexico, by imposing provider requirements designed to be overly burdensome and prevent participation.

Increasing Homebuilding and Homeownership: Heinrich secured $1.25 billion in funding for the HOME Investment Partnership Program (HOME), a critical program that helps New Mexicans build or rehabilitate homes. In 2025, Housing New Mexico leveraged HOME funds to contribute to the construction or rehabilitation of over 1,000 single-family and multi-family housing units. In New Mexico, HOME also provides gap funding for Low-Income Housing Tax Credit projects, which increase the supply of affordable rental units. Protection of this funding rejects the Trump Administration's attempt to cut all funding for this program.

Protecting Amtrak Southwest Chief: Heinrich secured language that protects existing Amtrak Southwest Chief train service in New Mexico from cuts and closure. The Southwest Chief serves New Mexicans in and visiting Raton, Las Vegas, Lamy, Albuquerque, and Gallup. Heinrich has long supported the Southwest Chief and fought to protect its service in New Mexico.

Supporting Local Air Travel: Heinrich successfully secured $514 million, a $64 million increase, for Essential Air Service, which is crucial to ensuring New Mexicans living in rural communities can quickly, safely, and conveniently connect with the rest of the country. Heinrich also successfully secured $4.5 billion for Airport Improvement Program (AIP) grants to improve airport infrastructure and safety. Past AIP grants have delivered millions to New Mexico, including $21 million in September 2025.

Finally, Heinrich successfully secured $13.7 billion for FAA operations, which will allow the FAA to hire 2,500 air traffic controllers and 91 new aviation safety inspectors and engineers. This will help begin to address the nationwide shortage of air traffic controllers. One of 22 major FAA centers, the Albuquerque Air Route Traffic Control Center (ZAB), is located in New Mexico and manages over 1.7 million flights per year in New Mexico and neighboring states.

FY26 Financial Services and General Government Key Points and Highlights

Heinrich successfully included $2.013 million in investments for the following 6 projects in the bill:

• $650,000 for the Women's Economic Self-Sufficiency Team (WESST) to develop and deliver accelerator programming for entrepreneurs in the trades, childcare, and arts sector.

• $375,000 for the San Juan County Partnership to utilize the Strategic Prevention Framework to focus on substance use prevention among youth.

• $388,000 for the City of Albuquerque Economic Development Department to provide technical assistance to small businesses and entrepreneurs.

• $250,000 for Taos MainStreet's Business Resource and Innovation Center to provide consulting services and technical assistance to start-up companies.

• $200,000 for Capacity Builders Inc. to implement the Navajo Horse Journey program in San Juan and McKinley Counties to encourage substance use prevention among Native youth.

• $150,000 for the Middle Rio Grande Economic Development Association to provide training and partnerships for small businesses and entrepreneurs to foster business development in the Middle Rio Grande Valley region.

Additionally, Heinrich and Luján successfully included $1.8 million for the following 3 projects:

• $1,000,000 for the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center to provide critical spaces, technologies, and resources designed to help Native American entrepreneurs start and scale their businesses.

• $633,000 for the Northern Rio Grande National Heritage Area to expand entrepreneurial training tailored to creative and agriculture businesses in northern New Mexico.

• $167,000 for Vida Mejor Capital to build the capacity of small businesses in the food and agriculture industry.

Programmatic Highlights

Expanding Santa Teresa Port of Entry: Heinrich successfully secured $1.5 million for the next two phases of the Santa Teresa Port of Entry modernization and expansion, funding the Environmental Impact Statement and the Prospectus Development Study. When completed, the modernization project will help ensure the stability of our nation's supply chain, enhance border security, and dramatically transform STPOE by adding as many as 25 new lanes for commercial and passenger traffic. This modernization project will be transformational for the southern New Mexico economy.

This follows more than a decade of Heinrich's work to expand and invest in the Santa Teresa Port of Entry. In May 2024, Heinrich led a letter with Luján and U.S. Representative Gabe Vasquez (D-N.M.) to the General Services Administration (GSA) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) commending the completion of the feasibility study Heinrich funded in FY2022 and urging both agencies to make this project a top priority. This letter came after a push from Heinrich in March 2024 for the agencies to promptly complete the feasibility study to expand and modernize the Santa Teresa Port of Entry. You can find more detailed information about Heinrich's previous actions to secure forward-looking investments to modernize and expand the Santa Teresa Land Port of Entry HERE.

Bolstering Federal Defender Services: Heinrich secured $1.766 billion for Federal Defenders, a nearly 22%, or $315 million, increase above fiscal year 2025 in the bill. This critical new funding will reimburse Criminal Justice Act panel attorneys who make up 40% of the overall federal defender workforce. These attorneys play a vital role in upholding the Sixth Amendment's guarantee to counsel in criminal proceedings.

Supporting Economic Development: Heinrich helped secure $324 million for the Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) Fund, protecting current funding levels for the Fund and rejecting the 59% cut (-$190.9 million) sought by President Trump, as well as the 15% cut (-$47.4 million) proposed by House Republicans. This follows a sustained attack on the CDFI Fund by the Trump Administration, which Heinrich has consistently and vocally opposed. CDFI funding helps expand economic opportunity for underserved communities and supports the development of child care centers, affordable housing units, health care facilities, and small businesses in every part of the country.

FY26 State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs

Programmatic Highlights

Protecting Life-Saving Nutrition: Heinrich successfully secured $300 million for American-made ready-to-use-therapeutic food (RUTF). RUTF is the single most effective treatment for child malnutrition, bringing children back from the brink of death in weeks. RUTF production in the United States supports farmers all over the country.

Preventing Wildlife Trafficking, Enhancing Ecological Security: Heinrich helped secure $100 million for the United States Foundation for National Security and Counterterrorism, $274 million for biodiversity, $89 million to combat wildlife trafficking, $132 million for land management and protection, and $150 million for the Global Environment Facility. These investments fund projects that counter illegal wildlife trafficking and deforestation, reduce disease spread, and protect wildlife and ecosystems around the world.

Supporting Global Health: Heinrich helped secure $9.4 billion for global health programs, funding work to combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis, and polio; support maternal and child health; and carry out critical research and deployment of health research and vaccines.

Health Care Legislative Package

Heinrich successfully secured Senate passage of the following provisions included in the overall bill:

Averting Major Cuts to Safety Net Hospitals: Heinrich successfully blocked deep cuts to Medicaid Disproportionate Share Hospitals (DSH) through fiscal year 2028. Without this provision, the DSH program would have seen an over $8 billion cut nationwide, severely impacting safety net hospitals like the University of New Mexico Health System, which provide a disproportionate share of unreimbursed care. DSH hospitals provide care to the most vulnerable populations and rely on supplemental funding in order to provide care for every patient who needs care.

Supporting Community Health Centers, Special Diabetes Program: Heinrich helped provide $1.8 billion in funding for Community Health Centers, to ensure they remain funded through the end of 2026. Community Health Centers in New Mexico provided over 790,000 medical visits in 2024. Heinrich also helped secure funding for the National Health Service Corps through the end of the year, teaching health centers that operate graduate medical education programs through 2029, and an extension for the Special Diabetes Program through 2026. Nearly 12% of New Mexicans have diagnosed diabetes and many suffer from complicated side effects and related illnesses. Heinrich continues to support legislation to reauthorize the Special Diabetes Program through 2027.

Improving Pediatric Health Care: Heinrich helped secure Senate passage of the Accelerating Kids Access to Care Act, which he cosponsors, to improve access to life-saving care for children with complex medical conditions by simplifying out-of-state Medicaid screening and enrollment processes for pediatric care providers while retaining key safeguards to preserve the integrity of the program.

Heinrich also helped secure Senate passage of the Mikaela Naylon Give Kids a Chance Act, landmark legislation, which he cosponsors, to accelerate pediatric cancer treatments and expand access to life-saving therapies for children battling rare diseases.

Expanding Cancer Detection: Heinrich helped secure Senate passage of the Nancy Gardner Sewell Medicare Multi-Cancer Early Detection Screening Coverage Act, which he cosponsors. This bill allows for Medicare coverage and payment for multi-cancer early detection screening tests, beginning in 2028, that are approved by the Food and Drug Administration and used to screen for cancer across many cancer types, as determined by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

Strengthening Obstetric Care: Heinrich helped secure Senate passage of the Keep Obstetrics Local Act, which he cosponsors, which will provide emergency funding to help struggling obstetrics units, including by increasing Medicaid reimbursement rates for labor and delivery services for eligible rural and high-need hospitals. Between 2012 and 2022, approximately one-quarter of all rural hospitals stopped providing obstetrics services, impacting 267 communities nationally. In New Mexico, nearly 18% of women lack access to birthing hospitals within 30 minutes of where they live, nearly double the national average.

Preventing Maternal Deaths: Heinrich also helped secure reauthorization of state Maternal Mortality Review Committees (MMRCs) and provide MMRCs $10 million per fiscal year through 2030. MMRCs are state review boards that seek to improve maternal health outcomes, particularly by working to end preventable deaths of mothers and babies. In New Mexico, the MMRC consists of public health professionals, obstetrics and gynecology physicians, maternal-fetal medicine specialists, nurses, midwives, mental and behavioral health professionals, patient advocacy groups, and community-based organizations.

The United States has the highest rate of maternal mortality in the developed world, with women of color disproportionately impacted by this crisis. Tragically, nearly 78% of maternal deaths in New Mexico between 2015 and 2018 were deemed preventable. Reauthorizing MMRCs is an important step towards ending this crisis.

Protecting Ground Ambulance Services: Heinrich helped secure Senate passage of a bill he cosponsors to extend add-on payments for ground ambulance services to ensure emergency medical care remains accessible in rural parts of New Mexico.

Ensuring Access to Affordable Prescription Drugs: Heinrich helped secured Senate passage of provisions to improve oversight of pharmacy benefit managers and guarantee Medicare beneficiaries can access community pharmacies of their choice.

Extension of Telehealth Flexibilities: Heinrich helped secure Senate passage of legislation he cosponsors to maintain telehealth coverage for Medicare beneficiaries through 2027, and he continues to support solutions to make these flexibilities permanent.

###

• Print
• Email
• Share
• Tweet

Previous Article

Next Article