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Native Americans

Leger Fernández Leads Bicameral Push Urging President Trump to Reinstate Executive Order Supporting Tribal Self-Determination

| Posted in Press Releases

Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Teresa Leger Fernández (NM-03) led a bicameral coalition of 52 Members of Congress in a letter to President Trump urging him to reinstate Biden-era Executive Order 14112, titled “Reforming Federal Funding and Support for Tribal Nations to Better Embrace Our Trust Responsibilities and Promote the Next Era of Tribal Self-Determination.”  President…

N.M. Delegation Reintroduce Slate of Tribal Water Rights Settlements Legislation

| Posted in Press Releases

WASHINGTON – U.S. Representatives Teresa Leger Fernández (D-N.M.), Gabe Vasquez (D-N.M.), and Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.) and U.S. Senators Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) are reintroducing a slate of Tribal water rights settlement bills they are pushing to pass in this Congress. The full slate of Tribal water rights settlements legislation includes: The…

Leger Fernández Introduces Bipartisan Bill to Strengthen Public Safety in Indian Country

| Posted in Press Releases

Washington, D.C. – Representatives Teresa Leger Fernández (D-NM), Dan Newhouse (R-WA) and Sharice Davids (D-KS) introduced the bipartisan Bridging Agency Data Gaps & Ensuring Safety (BADGES) for Native Communities Act to support the recruitment and retention of Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) law enforcement officers, bolster federal missing persons resources, and give Tribes and…

In Letter to Trump, Leger Fernández, House and Senate Colleagues Demand a Stop to Unconscionable ICE Harassment of Native American Citizens

| Posted in Press Releases

Washington, D.C. – Today, Congresswoman Teresa Leger Fernández, Ranking Member of the Homeland Security Committee Bennie Thompson, Ranking Member of the House Natural Resources Committee Jared Huffman, Congressman Raúl Grijalva, Congresswoman Melanie Stansbury, Congressman Gabe Vasquez, Congresswoman Yassamin Ansari and Senators Martin Heinrich and Ben Ray Lujan sent a letter to President…

Congresswoman Leger Fernández Announces Key Roles and Appointments for the 119th Congress

| Posted in Press Releases

Washington, D.C. — Congresswoman Teresa Leger Fernández (D-NM) was appointed to multiple powerful committees and leadership roles in the 119th Congress, reflecting her continued commitment to serve New Mexico and the nation with distinction. Congresswoman Leger Fernández will serve as a Member of the influential House Natural Resources Committee, where she will serve as Ranking Member of…

Leger Fernández Celebrates Return of Sacred Pueblo Artifacts

| Posted in In the News

Washington, D.C. – Today, Congresswoman Teresa Leger Fernández celebrated the long-awaited repatriation of sacred Ysleta Del Sur Pueblo Tribe artifacts currently held by the Nationaal Museum Van Wereldculturen in the Netherlands back to their home in El Paso, Texas. Representatives Teresa Leger Fernandez (D-N.M.), Veronica Escobar (D-TX), Gabe Vasquez (D-N.M.), Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.)…

Congresswoman Leger Fernández Urges USDA to Prioritize Tribal Voices in Implementation of Nutrition Pilot Program She Championed

| Posted in Press Releases

WASHINGTON, DC – Congresswoman Teresa Leger Fernández (NM-03) sent a letter to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack, urging the agency to prioritize tribal input and address key concerns in the implementation of the Child Nutrition Programs Tribal Pilot Projects. This initiative, led in the House by Leger Fernández and included in her Tribal Nutrition Improvement Act of 2023 (H.R. 1589), was incorporated into the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024. The same bill was led in the Senate by Senator Henrich (NM).

Leger Fernández, Heinrich, Luján Announce $120 Million for the Navajo-Gallup Water Supply Project

| Posted in Press Releases

WASHINGTON – Representative Teresa Leger Fernández (D-N.M), U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), and Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, U.S. Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), and announced $120 million for Fiscal Year 2025 for the Navajo-Gallup Water Supply Project using funding from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation’s Reclamation Water Settlements Fund.

Leger Fernandez Secures New Funding for Hermit’s Peak Fire Victims and NM Water Infrastructure in Budget Bill

| Posted in Press Releases

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congresswoman Leger Fernández released the following statement after voting for a Continuing Resolution that passed the House tonight by a widely bipartisan vote of 366-34-1 and will keep the government open until March 14, 2025. “Today, in time for Christmas, Democrats saved our country from a dangerous government shutdown. We defeated Elon Musk and Donald…

N.M. Delegation Announces Over $3 Million for Tribal Communities to Address Opioid Use Disorder

| Posted in Press Releases

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – U.S. Representatives Teresa Leger Fernández (D-N.M.), Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.), and Gabe Vasquez (D-N.M.), and U.S. Senators Ben Ray Luján and Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) are announcing $3,068,909 from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to Tribal communities to serve individuals with opioid use disorder and co-occurring substance use…

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