Congressional Spotlight: Senator Martin Heinrich (D-NM)

Each month The Nonprofit Alliance (TNPA) introduces you to a member of Congress who is a leader on legislative matters important to our TNPA community, with representation from both parties.

Which American political figure has most inspired you?

President Theodore Roosevelt, the most visionary conservation president in American history whose foresight helped create the national forests, wildlife refuges, and national parks we cherish today. Roosevelt also stood toe-to-toe with the biggest corporations and the wealthiest and most powerful figures of his time and worked to deliver a “Square Deal” for working class families.

What was the moment you realized you were serious about getting into public service?

It was a trip into the backcountry of southwestern New Mexico’s Gila Wilderness over two decades ago now that helped me chart a whole new course for the rest of my life. I had been enjoying my work as an outfitter guide and educator, but I wanted to find a new direction. The terrorist attacks on September 11 had just sent a major shockwave through our country, and I felt a deep calling to serve my community and country. Around the same time that commercial flights were starting again, I met up with a friend from college and drove southwest out of Albuquerque. Over fifty-three miles, we backpacked and camped. Sitting around the fire at our campsite along the Gila headwaters, we talked about our goals and plans for the future under dark skies lit up by the Milky Way. I returned from that trip refreshed and determined to run for a seat on the Albuquerque City Council the following year. For the last two decades now, I have found a real sense of purpose in my public service career that was borne out of that backpack in the Gila Wilderness. I have continued returning as often as I can to the Gila, including with my wife, Julie, and our two sons, to find a sense of perspective.

Describe your life in nine words.

Growing opportunities for a rising generation of New Mexicans.

More About Senator Martin Heinrich

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 Executive Director of the Cottonwood Gulch Foundation. Additionally, he led the Coalition for New Mexico Wilderness.

Heinrich served four years as an Albuquerque City Councilor and was elected as City Council President. During his time on the 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.

Heinrich was elected to the U.S. House in 2008. While 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 is particularly proud of having authored the HEARTH Act to remove barriers to homeownership for American Indian families. In 2012, he was elected to the U.S. Senate, where he serves as the Chairman of the U.S. Joint Economic Committee. In this role, Heinrich plays a role that allows him to promote policies that foster job creation through innovation and encourage the use of energy-efficient technology. The committee consists of members from both the U.S. Senate and U.S. House and helps provide citizens and lawmakers with critical information on the health of the U.S. economy and often examines how government can better work for the middle class.

Heinrich also serves on the Committee on Appropriations, the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, and the Committee on Intelligence. In terms of the Appropriations Committee, he is the previous chairman of the Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Subcommittee. In this role Heinrich fought to ensure our military installations have all the modern facilities they need to execute their national security missions and have the resources and funding to keep America’s promise to our service members and their families when they return home as veterans.

We at The Nonprofit Alliance know Senator Heinrich best for his work as co-chair of the bipartisan Senate Artificial Intelligence Caucus. The Senate AI Caucus works to develop smart policy that balances AI’s risks and rewards to ensure the competitiveness of the U.S. economy, while maintaining important ethical standards. Given the increasing use of AI throughout the economy, and particularly by the nonprofit sector, Senator Heinrich’s leadership in this area is important to the success of our sector.

The Nonprofit Alliance looks forward to continuing to work closely with Senator Martin Heinrich of New Mexico.