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Native Americans

New Mexico Delegation Stands with Pueblo Governors to Demand Congress and the Trump Administration Protect Chaco Canyon

| Posted in Press Releases

WATCH THE FULL PRESS CONFERENCE HERE WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congresswoman Teresa Leger Fernández (NM-03), Congresswoman Melanie Stansbury (NM-01), and Senator Martin Heinrich (NM) joined Pueblo leaders to demand the Trump Administration maintain a ban on oil and gas development on federal lands surrounding Chaco Canyon sponsored in the Senate by Senator Luján (NM) and in the House by…

N.M. Delegation Calls for Completion of Tribal Water Settlements

| Posted in Press Releases

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Representative Teresa Leger Fernández (D-N.M.) and U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) led colleagues in a bipartisan, bicameral letter to Leader John Thune, Speaker Mike Johnson, and additional chairs and ranking members of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives calling for the completion of current outstanding water settlements and related technical…

Leger Fernández, Heinrich Invite HHS Senior Official to Visit Gallup Indian Medical Center to Witness How a New Trump Administration Policy is Causing Delays and Reductions in Patient Care

| Posted in Press Releases

WASHINGTON, D.C. –Following recent reporting that new, internal policies in the Trump Administration — implemented via presidential executive orders and the President’s so-called “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE) — are delaying and reducing patient care at Gallup Indian Medical Center, U.S. Representative Teresa Leger Fernández (D-N.M.) and U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.)…

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.)…

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