With a background in engineering, Martin Heinrich brings a unique perspective to the Senate, where he is focused on creating the jobs of the future and protecting the vital missions at New Mexico's national labs and military installations. Raised by working class parents, he is a strong advocate for working families, a staunch ally of Indian Country, and a champion for New Mexico's public lands and growing clean energy economy.
After completing a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Missouri, Heinrich and his wife, Julie, moved to Albuquerque where he began his career as a contractor working on directed energy technology at Phillips Laboratories, which is now Air Force Research Laboratory at Kirtland Air Force Base. Heinrich later served in AmeriCorps for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and was the Executive Director of the Cottonwood Gulch Foundation. He also led the Coalition for New Mexico Wilderness and founded a small public affairs consulting firm.
Before he was elected to Congress, Heinrich served four years as an Albuquerque City Councilor and was elected as City Council President. During his time on City Council, Heinrich championed successful efforts to raise the city minimum wage, address crime through community policing, support local small businesses, make Albuquerque a leader in energy and water conservation, and fought for campaign finance reform. He also served as New Mexico's Natural Resources Trustee, working to conserve the state's outdoor heritage.
Prior to being elected to the U.S. Senate, Heinrich served two terms in the U.S. House of Representatives. In the House, Heinrich voted to cut taxes for the middle class, worked to make college more affordable, improved benefits for veterans, opposed cuts to Social Security and Medicare, and championed the DREAM Act as an original cosponsor. Heinrich authored the HEARTH Act to remove barriers to homeownership for American Indian families and led the effort in Congress to reauthorize the Indian Health Care Improvement Act.
A member of U.S. Senate since 2012, Senator Heinrich serves on the Senate Appropriations Committee and also as chairman of the Military Construction (MILCON), Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Subcommittee, which oversees funding for new military construction and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Senator Heinrich also serves on the following Appropriations Subcommittees: Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies; Energy and Water Development; Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies; and Legislative Branch. Through his role on the committee, Heinrich has fought to ensure our military installations have all of the modern facilities they need to execute their national security missions, and to secure all the resources and funding the VA needs to keep America's promise to our service members and their families when they return home as veterans.
An avid sportsman and conservationist, Heinrich works to protect New Mexico's public lands, watersheds, and wildlife for future generations. He worked with local communities to designate the Río Grande del Norte and Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monuments.
With its abundance of solar and wind resources and energy research hubs, New Mexico can lead the way in combating the devastating effects of climate change and modernizing our nation's electrical grid. In 2015, Heinrich helped negotiate the long-term extension of renewable energy tax credits that support New Mexico's growing clean energy industries. Heinrich introduced legislation to prepare New Mexico's workforce for good-paying clean energy jobs. He has also supported the development of renewable energy projects on public and tribal lands, the adoption of innovative energy storage and battery technologies, and improvement to the security of our nation's energy infrastructure.
To build a brighter economic future, Heinrich believes in investments in communities and the next generation of New Mexicans. Heinrich supports major investments in early childhood education, public schools, and health care. He introduced the bipartisan Two Generation Economic Empowerment Act to help states like New Mexico coordinate programs across human services, workforce development, education, and health care agencies so they can work more effectively to put parents and children on the path to success. He has also long championed strengthening the education pipeline for science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) careers for all students including women and minorities.