Heinrich Announces Committee Passage of Over $169 Million for New Mexico

Investments Heinrich Championed Support Public Safety, Education, Transportation, Housing, Tribal Programs,AI Innovation, and Public Lands

WASHINGTON -Today, U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) announced the bipartisan Senate Appropriations Committee passage of the Fiscal Year 2025 (FY25) Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies; Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies (CJS); Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies (THUD); and State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs (SFOPs) Appropriations Bills. With Committee approval of these bills, Heinrich secured support for over $169.5 million for New Mexico, including over $70.5 million in Congressionally Directed Spending for 63 local projects between these bills and their House-companions.

"As a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, I have the opportunity to directly advocate for federal resources that deliver for working families in New Mexico - and that's exactly what these bills do," said Heinrich. "These bills will help our law enforcement officers solve and reduce violent crime, repair the infrastructure that keeps our drinking water safe, protect our treasured public lands and wildlife habitat, build more affordable homes for working families, modernize our airports, roads, and transportation networks, expand economic opportunities in Tribal and border communities, and so much more. Now that we have passed all of these bills out of committee with strong, bipartisan support, I will work every step of the way to get these investments across the finish line and to New Mexico."

Heinrich is a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee and the Subcommittees on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies and Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies.

Earlier this month, the Senate Appropriations Committee also passed the FY25 Agriculture, Rural Development, and Food and Drug Administration Appropriations Bill, which Heinrich authored as Chairman of that Subcommittee and includes over $15 million for New Mexico projects and significant wins for farmers, rural communities, and families; and the FY25 Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill, which includes $36.9 million for New Mexico's military installations and significant wins for New Mexico's veterans.

Next, all of the appropriations bills passed out of the Appropriations Committee will be considered by the full United States Senate.

Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Key Points and Highlights

Safeguard Tribal Objects of Patrimony (STOP) Act Implementation: Heinrich successfully included $500,000 to implement the Safeguard Tribal Objects of Patrimony (STOP) Act, a bipartisan law that Heinrich championed and passed in 2022 to prohibit the exporting of sacred Native American items and increase penalties for stealing and illegally trafficking Tribal cultural patrimony. Representing the first dedicated funding for this program, it will be used to halt the trade of culturally significant items and repatriate stolen pieces to the Tribal communities where they belong. Heinrich first introduced the STOP Act in 2016 after he helped halt the auction of a shield, stolen from the Pueblo of Acoma. Heinrich played a role in the effort to bring the shield home to Acoma by working with Governors Kurt Riley and Brian Vallo to call for its return.

Tribal Programs: Heinrich fought for and successfully included $61,700,000 to build a replacement school building for the Kinteel Residential Campus, a Tribally-controlled high school in Aztec, N.M. Heinrich also successfully included funding increases for several Tribal programs, including a $194 million increase for Indian Health Services (IHS) Hospitals and Health Clinics and a $40 million increase for IHS Facilities and Construction. He also fought for a $13.7 million funding increase for the Indian School Equalization Program.

Abandoned Hardrock Mine Reclamation Program: Heinrich successfully included continued funding for the Abandoned Hardrock Mine Reclamation Program, after championing the creation of the program in the Infrastructure Law. Hardrock mines and mining features are related to the extraction of metals like copper, gold, silver, and uranium. When not reclaimed, many hardrock mines pose a hazard to public health and the environment. This funding will be used to clean up federal, state, Tribal, and private land and water resources affected by abandoned hardrock mines.

Land and Water Conservation Fund: Heinrich successfully advocated for and included funding for several Land and Water Conservation Fund projects. The bill includes:

• $20,500,000 to improve recreational access to Bureau of Land Management (BLM) public lands nationwide. In 2016, Heinrich led the effort to pass key provisions of his Bipartisan Sportsmen's Act as part of the Energy Policy Modernization Act. This included Heinrich's HUNT Act, which requires federal agencies like the BLM and U.S. Forest Service to work with states, Tribes, and willing private landowners to provide public access to "landlocked" public lands with significant potential for hunting, fishing, or other recreational uses.
• $4,500,000 for La Cienega Area of Critical Environmental Concern.
• $10,000,000 to reduce inholdings in the Cibola National Forest.

Public Land Deferred Maintenance Projects: Heinrich successfully included funding to improve infrastructure on New Mexico's public lands, including:

• $8,000,000 to replace the drinking water system at Carlsbad Caverns National Park.
• $5,000,000 for recreation site repairs on Bureau of Land Management land in the Albuquerque and Las Cruces Districts.
• $4,975,000 for deferred maintenance on the Carson National Forest.
• $3,225,000 for Quemado Lake Recreation Areas reconstruction and accessibility upgrades in the Gila National Forest.
• $850,000 for deferred maintenance on the Santa Fe National Forest.

Congressionally Directed Spending

Heinrich successfully included $7.3 million in investments for the following eleven local projects in the bill:

• $2,100,000 for the Zuni Tribe to make improvements to their drinking water system.
• $1,000,000 for the Pueblo of Tesuque to remove Siberian elm trees to restore the Rio Tesuque bosque to its natural vegetation regime.
• $1,000,000 for the Village of Questa to construct a well house to prevent contamination of their municipal well.
• $700,000 for the City of Truth or Consequences to replace aged and damaged waterlines.
• $700,000 for the Mescalero Apache Tribe to restore coniferous forest and promote aspen stand growth along the Rio Ruidoso to prepare for the reintroduction of beavers, a culturally significant species.
• $675,000 for the Ojo Caliente Mutual Domestic Water Consumers Association to construct a new water storage tank.
• $500,000 for the Pueblo of Laguna to rehabilitate the roof of the historic Saint Joseph's Church.
• $200,000 for Eight Northern Indian Pueblos Council for Caja del Rio Ethnographic Study
• $150,000 for the Bureau of Land Management to work with existing partners to replace barbed-wire fences with wildlife-friendly fences on the Rio Grande del Norte National Monument.
• $150,000 for the Desert Tortoise Council to work on Bolson tortoise recovery efforts.
• $125,000 for the Town of Silver City to rehabilitate the historic Silver City Waterworks building.

Heinrich and U.S. Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) successfully included $3.78 million for the following six projects:

• $1,138,000 for the New Mexico Forestry Division to complete the North Stonewall project to restore the natural, open savanna ecosystem that exemplifies a healthy ponderosa pine forest.
• $1,000,000 for the City of Carlsbad to extend the Canal Street storm drain, which will better manage stormwater flow.
• $940,000 for the Peña Blanca Water and Sanitation District to replace aged and leaking water lines.
• $500,000 for the Enchanted Forest Mutual Domestic Water Consumers Association to develop a new water source pump house and appurtenances and to replace distribution lines.
• $150,000 for the City of Bloomfield to restore disturbed soils and the riparian zone along the San Juan River.
• $60,000 for the New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs to make water system improvements at the Fort Selden Historic Site.

Between the Senate and House Interior Appropriations bills, Heinrich and his N.M. Delegation colleagues also secured Committee support of the following:

Heinrich, Luján, and U.S. Representative Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.) successfully included in the Senate bill $1,760,000 for the City of Rio Rancho to expand their aquifer reinjection system.

Heinrich and Stansbury also successfully included in the House bill $1,105,800 for the Village of Bosque Farms to upgrade the clarifier in their wastewater treatment plant.

Heinrich and U.S. Representative Gabe Vasquez (D-N.M.) successfully included the House bill over $4.42 million for the following four projects:

• $1,105,800 for the Anthony Water and Sanitation District to repair and construct wastewater infrastructure.
• $1,105,800 for the Camino Real Regional Utility Authority to repair and rehabilitate municipal wells.
• $1,105,800 for the City of Belén to rehabilitate their wastewater treatment plant.
• $1,105,800 for Luna County to construct a new drinking water well for the Village of Columbus.

Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies (CJS) Key Points and Highlights

Fentanyl Tracking System: Heinrich successfully included language directing the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to develop a comprehensive fentanyl tracking system. That tracking system would include documentation of seizure location, chemical composition, probable or known manufacturing location, and probable or known point of entry into the United States. Currently, fentanyl interdiction is compiled at land ports of entry by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), but the DEA does not have readily accessible tracking data on the movement of illicit drugs within the U.S. or their point of origin. Requiring the compilation and organization of that data will complement DHS's work and improve our country's work to effectively combat the fentanyl crisis.

Continuing to Expand Access to Ballistic Intelligence in New Mexico: Heinrich successfully included language directing the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) to explore ways to expand access to the National Integrated Ballistics Information Network (NIBIN) for state and local agencies in the southwest border region. This expansion will help law enforcement in New Mexico identify and prosecute crimes involving firearms through ballistic intelligence. The inclusion of this language also builds on Heinrich's work to secure over $1 million in the fiscal year 2024 budget to purchase new NIBIN ballistics testing machines for law enforcement agencies in Las Cruces, Farmington, Gallup, and Roswell to use.

Firearm Straw Purchases Prevention: Heinrich successfully included language calling on ATF to continue its public awareness campaign to reduce firearm straw purchases at the retail level and to educate would-be straw purchasers of the penalties associated with knowingly participating in an illegal firearm purchase. This language builds on Heinrich's work to negotiate and author the provision in the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act that increased criminal penalties for straw purchases and made it illegal to traffic firearms out of the United States. To date, more than 500 defendants have been charged by the Department of Justice because of those provisions, removing hundreds of firearms from the streets.

Removing Barriers to Lifesaving Medication: Heinrich successfully included language directing the DEA to take further action to remove barriers to access for opioid use disorder medications such as buprenorphine. The data clearly shows that prescriptions of medications for opioid use disorder significantly reduce the risk of overdose death, but despite their demonstrated effectiveness, approximately 87% of those suffering from opioid use disorder do not have a prescription for these lifesaving medications. The inclusion of this language will assist local medical and mental health providers and make medications, including buprenorphine, more accessible to New Mexicans.

National Artificial Intelligence Research Resource: Heinrich successfully included $30 million for the National AI Research Resource (NAIRR) Pilot. This funding builds on Heinrich's work to establish the NAIRR to develop a detailed roadmap for the development of a national AI resource for AI research and convened a group of technical experts across academia, government, and industry to develop a detailed roadmap for how the United States can build, deploy, govern, and sustain a national research cloud and associated research resources. A recommendation to establish the NAIRR came from the final report of the National Security Commission on AI, and work done by Stanford University's Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence significantly advanced the concept.

Last January, the NAIRR Task Force released its final report with a roadmap for standing up a national research infrastructure that would broaden access to the resources essential to AI research and development. Last year, Heinrich, a co-founder and co-chair of the Senate AI Caucus and a member of the Bipartisan Senate AI Working Group, introduced the bipartisan Creating Resources for Every American To Experiment with Artificial Intelligence Act of 2023 (CREATE AI Act) to provide AI researchers and students with greater access to the complex resources, data, and tools needed to develop safe and trustworthy artificial intelligence. The CREATE AI Act implements many of the recommendations of the NAIRR Task Force.

NSF Research Equipment and Facilities Construction: Heinrich also successfully included $300 million, a $66 million increase from last year's budget, for Major Research Equipment and Facilities Construction at the National Science Foundation (NSF). This includes the continued construction of a Leadership-Class Computing Facility administered by NSF, which will become an anchor facility for NAIRR, when constructed.

Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR): Heinrich successfully included funding and language for the EPSCoR State offices. EPSCoR state offices are the keepers of institutional knowledge and the network builders in their states. They bring together research academics from across the state to meet research goals and economic development priorities. In a May 2024 hearing, Heinrich questioned the National Science Foundation's decision to do away with EPSCoR Track 1 funding, which resulted in funds being cut off for New Mexico's EPSCoR office. Heinrich successfully included $750,000 annually for each State EPSCoR office and report language in the bill to ensure the continuity of EPSCoR programs in New Mexico.

Congressionally Directed Spending

Heinrich successfully included $6.17 million in investments for the following eight local projects in the bill:

• $1,668,000 for the New Mexico Statewide Sexual Assault Program to increase capacity at the Helpline and Work Force Trauma Institute.
• $1,050,000 for the Bernalillo County Sheriff's Office for equipment and staffing for forensic analysis and crime scene reconstruction.
• $1,000,000 for the Las Cruces Police Department to establish an Evidence Processing Lab.
• $908,000 for the Albuquerque Police Department to purchase forensic analysis equipment for the Forensic Science Center.
• $629,000 for Farmington Police Department to acquire forensic DNA and Narcotics identification equipment, training, and personnel.
• $533,000 for Eastern New Mexico University Campus to enhance lighting and safety on campus.
• $268,000 for the Doña Ana County Sheriff's Office to purchase mobile security trailers.
• $115,000 for Gallup Police Department to purchase crime scene reconstruction equipment.

Heinrich and Luján successfully included more than $2.71 million for the following three projects:

• $1,490,000 for the New Mexico Medical Investigator to enhance the DNA Processing Laboratory.
• $720,000 for the University of New Mexico's Developing Safe, Ethical, and Explainable Artificial Intelligence Program.
• $500,000 for the Bernalillo County Sheriff's Office to establish a Violence Intervention Program.

Heinrich and Stansbury successfully included in the House bill $1,184,000 for New Mexico State Police to implement 5G Technologies.

Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies (THUD) Key Points and Highlights

Rental Assistance: Heinrich successfully included increased funding for Tenant-Based Rental Assistance (Housing Choice Vouchers) and Project-Based Rental Assistance. The Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) Program helps over 12,000 families in New Mexico. Heinrich also secured language urging HUD to expand resources to train public housing staff on how to use HCVs to make homeownership an attainable goal for residents of public housing. The Committee also included a pilot program with the same concept as Heinrich's DEPOSIT Act, introduced last year, which provides resources for security deposits for individuals using the HCV program. Security deposits are often a significant barrier to accessing public housing.

Tribal Housing: Heinrich successfully included an increase of $111.1 million from FY24 for the Native American housing programs. The Indian Housing Block Grant, which received $1.2 billion in FY25, is the single largest source of Tribal housing assistance. The program funds affordable housing activities including new housing construction, rehabilitation, and housing services. This builds on Heinrich's previous success in securing major increases in funding for Native American housing programs. Heinrich also successfully ensured that funding was not cut from the Tribal HUD-VA Supportive Housing Program, which provides rental assistance and supportive services to Native American veterans who are experiencing homelessness or are at risk of homelessness living on or near a reservation or other Tribal areas.

Housing Supportive Services: Heinrich successfully included increased funding for the Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS) Program and ensured there were not cuts to the Resident Opportunities and Supportive Services (ROSS) Program. The FSS program promotes increased earnings and savings among families receiving HUD-funded rental assistance. Program participants work with an FSS service coordinator to identify their financial and employment-related goals, including education or training, and can access a range of support services, such as childcare or credit repair, that can assist in achieving their goals. The ROSS program allows public housing authorities to hire a program coordinator who links residents with training opportunities, job placement organizations, and local employers. Housing supportive services that give working families a hand up and help them become more self-sufficient have been a longtime priority for Heinrich.

Southwest Border Regional Commission: Heinrich successfully included a $5 million investment in the Southwest Border Regional Commission (SBRC) for transportation infrastructure planning to support supply chain connectivity, zero-emission fueling corridors, and economic development in southern New Mexico and along the southern border. This comes in addition to the $2 million that Heinrich successfully included for the SBRC in the Fiscal Year 2025 Agriculture Appropriations Bill that passed out of the Senate Appropriations Committee earlier this month. The Commission is one of seven authorized federal regional commissions and authorities. In the previous three annual federal spending bills, Heinrich successfully secured the first ever congressional investments to finally allow the SBRC to jump-start and expand its operations. Heinrich has long pushed to make sure Congress fully funds the SBRC to boost economic progress in thriving southern border communities in New Mexico and our neighboring states of Arizona, California, and Texas. In December, Heinrich, introduced the Southwest Border Regional Commission Reauthorization Act to fully fund the SBRC and deliver the fair share of federal investment that New Mexico's communities deserve.

Transportation Safety: The bill invests in improving transportation safety, including by providing funding to hire 2,000 more air traffic controllers, a Heinrich priority in the recent Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reauthorization. The bill also directs the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) to hire more railroad safety inspectors after Heinrich joined his N.M. Delegation colleagues in urging the FRA to fill open railroad safety inspector positions in New Mexico following an April 2024 freight rail derailment near Gallup, N.M. The bill also includes $25 million for the Active Transportation Infrastructure Investments Program at the Federal Highway Administration, which awards grants for communities to invest in active transportation networks that include walking and biking routes that enable people to reach their destinations more safely, a longtime Heinrich priority.

Zero-Emission Transportation: Heinrich successfully included investments in zero-emissions transportation technology research, development, and deployment, including $38 million for the FAA's Continuous Lower Energy, Emissions, and Noise (CLEEN) program, $50 million for FAA's Zero-Emission Vehicle and Voluntary Airport Low Emissions programs, improvements to Federal Highway Administrations Charging and Fueling Infrastructure grant program that aims to deploy $500,000 public EV chargers by 2030, and $2.5 million for research on innovative clean technologies for locomotives. Heinrich also secured continued investment in the Low and No Emission (Low-No) Vehicle Grant Program, which supports transit agencies in purchasing or leasing low or no emission buses and other transit vehicles that use advanced technologies such as battery electric or fuel-cell power. The vehicles can provide a cleaner, more energy efficient transit service in communities across the country. Heinrich is a longtime proponent of this program, introducing the Low or No Emission Bus Access Act in 2020 and securing $5.6 billion for this program in the Infrastructure Law passed in 2021.

Congressionally Directed Spending

Heinrich successfully included over $26.5 million in investments for the following 17 local projects in the bill:

• $3,500,000 for the Clovis Regional Airport to construct a new, LEED-certified Regional Airport Terminal.
• $3,000,000 for Homewise to help moderate-income, first-time homebuyers purchase entry-level homes.
• $2,500,000 for Rio Arriba County to provide a new recreation complex to serve the residents of Rio Arriba County and surrounding communities.
• $2,300,000 for the City of Socorro to replace aged and damaged waterlines.
• $2,073,000 for the Raton Municipal Airport to upgrade its municipal airport infrastructure.
• $2,000,000 for the Center for Civic Policy to purchase a commercial building to house the Downtown Albuquerque Community Hub project.
• $1,800,000 for the Town of Mountainair to rebuild, repave, and upgrade approximately two miles of downtown Mountainair's roadways.
• $1,500,000 for DreamTree Project 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 and Girls Club of Farmington to renovate a community center.
• $1,500,000 for the City of Las Cruces to complete infrastructure updates and other improvements to Valley View Park.
• $1,000,000 for Serenity Mesa Youth Recovery Center Improvements to improve their facilities to support increased substance use crisis stabilization, treatment, and housing for adolescents and young adults.
• $1,000,000 for AMIkids New Mexico to add new transitional living sites to increase the availability of services for youth aging out of foster care.
• $850,000 for the Albuquerque Housing Authority to invest in necessary upgrades at Public Housing properties.
• $800,000 for the Taos County Economic Development Corporation to construct an on-site facility to support local livestock processing.
• $691,000 for the Northern Rio Grande National Heritage Area to build unique, affordable, entry-level homes, demonstrating the feasibility of a new building design.
• $440,000 for Deming Silver Linings to provide emergency temporary housing for unhoused individuals.
• $70,000 for the Sunland Park Fire Department to purchase and outfit an all-terrain utility vehicle for emergency response in remote desert areas surrounding the Sunland Park community.

Heinrich and Luján successfully included nearly $6 million for the following five projects:

• $3,000,000 for Agri-Cultura Cooperative Network to create a Food Hub at the Sacred Roots farm site.
• $1,100,000 for the City of Bloomfield to plan, design, and construct the expansion of East Blanco Boulevard in Bloomfield.
• $1,025,000 for the Tierra del Sol Housing Corporation to provide affordable homeownership opportunities for low-income families.
• $700,000 for Cuidando Los Niños to expand a facility to house early childhood education and family wraparound services.
• $147,000 for the Mesilla Valley Community of Hope to support individuals and families experiencing poverty and homelessness by providing affordable housing and wraparound services.

Between the Senate and House THUD Appropriations bills, Heinrich and his N.M. Delegation colleagues also secured Committee support of the following:

Heinrich, Luján, and U.S. Representative Teresa Leger Fernández (D-N.M.) successfully included $1,600,000 in the Senate bill for the City of Raton to conduct an interchange alignment study as part of the Ports-to-Plains Corridor Interstate Planning process.

Heinrich, Luján, and Stansbury successfully included $1,700,000 in the Senate bill for the City of Albuquerque to establish a 50-unit temporary Shelter Stability site in the International District.

Heinrich and Stansbury also successfully included $1,000,000 in the House bill for Bernalillo County to build affordable housing for seniors.

Heinrich, Luján, and Vasquez successfully included in the Senate bill:

• $2,500,000 for the Pueblo of Acoma Senior Center to repair housing and provide ADA accommodations.
• $2,000,000 for the City of Albuquerque to improve security and ADA accessibility at the West Side Emergency Housing Shelter.

Heinrich and Vasquez also successfully included $850,000 in the House bill for the Village of Los Lunas to make improvements to Carson Drive.

State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs (SFOPs) Key Points and Highlights

Countering Fentanyl: Heinrich successfully included $1.4 billion for the State Department's International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Bureau. This account supports programs that disrupt and reduce illicit drug markets and transnational crime to protect American lives and U.S. national security; combat corruption, illicit trafficking, and financial crimes to strengthen democratic institutions, advance the rule of law, and reduce criminal activity; and strengthen criminal justice systems to support rights-respecting international partners and reduce instability.

International Boundary and Water Commission: Heinrich successfully included $229 million for the International Boundary and Water Commission. The commission is responsible for applying boundary and water treaties between the United States and Mexico. The Rio Grande is a critical natural resource in New Mexico, supporting the water needs of agriculture, recreation, municipalities, Tribes, and industry, as well as endangered species, and a unique riparian ecosystem.

Protecting American Interests from Foreign Influence: Heinrich successfully included $420 million to counter malign influence from the Government of the People's Republic of China (PRC). Funds will strengthen partner maritime security and governance; combat transnational money laundering and cybercrime linked to PRC entities; counter PRC exploitation of critical minerals and natural resources, to include rare earth elements, timber, coastal and marine resources; counter activities related to illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing, and shrimp and squid harvesting, including combatting human trafficking and labor exploitation; and counter corruption and support criminal justice sector institutions to reduce the ability of the PRC and PRC-linked actors to exploit vulnerabilities.

Protecting Biodiversity: Heinrich successfully included $400 million to conserve biodiversity around the world, including $131 million for particularly sensitive ecosystems and species and $5 million for tropical forests and coral reefs. Funds will protect some of the largest, most at-risk natural landscapes and seascapes, including tropical forests in South America, Central Africa, and Southeast Asia; grasslands; and waterways. These funds will also support the livelihoods of millions of people who directly and indirectly depend on natural resources for survival and economic growth.

International Environmental Investments: Heinrich successfully included $150.2 million for the Global Environmental Facility, an independent international financial institution that provides grants to support sustainable use of natural capital and improved management of natural resources. These funds will support water conservation and combat biodiversity loss, chemical and waste exposure, climate change, and land degradation.

Combatting Wildlife Trafficking: Heinrich successfully included $125 million to combat wildlife trafficking and poaching. Funding will go towards the State Department's Bureau of International Narcotics Control & Law Enforcement and bilateral agreements to dismantle organized crime groups associated with wildlife trafficking, investigate the illegal financial flows, lead behavior change, and reduce market demand. Wildlife trafficking and poaching threatens human health by promoting the spread of diseases that can devastate humans, livestock, and other wildlife. Poaching and wildlife trafficking also threatens biodiversity and endangered species.

Humanitarian Demining: Heinrich successfully included $218 million for humanitarian demining efforts that will save lives, create safer communities, and allow for habitat restoration. The ongoing presence of mines makes it unsafe for people to live, farm, and work in certain areas, disrupts animal migrations, and prevents park rangers and wildlife managers from conducting patrols that could prevent poaching.

Ocean Plastic Pollution: Heinrich successfully included $5o million to address plastic pollution in the ocean. Once in the ocean, plastics threaten marine wildlife, the livelihoods of coastal communities, and human health overall.

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