N.M. Delegation Welcomes Over $9 Million for New Mexico’s Schools, Roads, County Services, Wildfire Mitigation from Infrastructure Law
WASHINGTON — U.S. Senators Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) and U.S. Representatives Teresa Leger Fernández (D-N.M.), Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.), and Gabe Vasquez (D-N.M.) are welcoming $9,309,362 to invest in New Mexico’s public schools, roads, wildfire mitigation, and county services. The funds will be allocated from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)’s Secure Rural Schools program, reauthorized through the Infrastructure Law, which New Mexico Democrats passed into law.
“From schools to roads and emergency services, our Infrastructure Law continues to deliver for rural communities in New Mexico,” said Heinrich, Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Agriculture Subcommittee. “These investments will support our kids’ education, equip our rural law enforcement personnel and firefighters with the resources they need to keep our communities safe, grow our local economies, and create more jobs New Mexicans can build their families around. I remain committed to continuing to deliver investments like these that will help us build a stronger future for our kids.”
“I’m proud to welcome more than $9.2 million to New Mexico to support public schools, local infrastructure, and wildfire protection plans. This investment will create new economic opportunities, tackle the threat of wildfires, and improve access to education and public services in rural communities,” said Luján, a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee. “I will continue working in Congress to deliver investments in our state and grow the economy.”
"By investing over $9 million in New Mexico's public infrastructure and services, we’re fortifying the backbone of our rural communities," said Leger Fernández. "These funds, derived from the Secure Rural Schools program under President Biden’s Infrastructure Law, embody our commitment to education, safety, and economic growth. Strengthening our schools, roads, and emergency services not only safeguards our present but also paves the way for a prosperous future—ensuring every New Mexican has the opportunity to thrive."
“The $9.3 million will go a long way to making schools more accessible to our rural communities in New Mexico,” said Stansbury. “Funding opportunities like the Secure Rural Schools program demonstrate the reach and power of the Biden Administration’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Updating and maintaining roads, bridges, school buses, and broadband connections means more students in our state will have an easier, safer time getting to and from school each day.”
“New Mexico’s rural communities play an important role in helping conserve and protect our forests. I am proud to announce that these communities are receiving critical funding to help improve our roads and schools, fund our first responders and further our fire mitigation efforts," said Vasquez. “This $9 million investment is vital for the lives of rural New Mexican children, and I look forward to seeing its impact on our state.”
Recipients of this funding include:
Bernalillo - $54,056.58
Catron - $3,039,121.91
Chaves - $39,434.94
Cibola - $495,084.94
Colfax - $64,899.41
Eddy - $65,917.71
Grant - $651,840.30
Hidalgo - $60,027.15
Lincoln - $322,609.67
Los Alamos - $9,067.24
McKinley - $288,114.51
Mora - $89,058.61
Otero - $658,658.84
Rio Arriba - $1,605,383.85
San Miguel - $326,721.28
Sandoval - $314,265.51
Santa Fe - $99,298.02
Sierra - $352,541.99
Socorro - $638,765.18
Taos - $512,041.31
Torrance - $166,916.77
Valencia - $18,244.72
The Secure Rural Schools program provides critical funding to more than 700 counties nationwide to improve the health of forested communities, and can include improving schools and roads, wildfire mitigation, and other county services.
The N.M. Delegation supports permanent authorization for the Secure Rural Schools program to give budget certainty to the rural counties who rely on the program.
For more information on this federal grant from USDA, click here.