U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) expressed support for President Joe Biden’s FY24 supplemental funding request on August 11th, 2023, highlighting its significant allocation towards enhancing the well-being and security of New Mexicans. The request encompasses measures to bolster border security, streamline immigration procedures, counter the distribution of illicit fentanyl, sustain wildland firefighter pay, and allocate additional resources to humanitarian and defense support for Ukraine according to a press release.
"By investing in resources that will enhance border security to repair our nation’s immigration system and ensuring wildland firefighters receive the living wages they deserve, this supplemental request reflects the kind of investments Congress should be making to protect the health and safety of all New Mexicans," Heinrich said.
The supplemental funding request comprises several key allocations, including $13.1 billion to address Ukraine's military requirements, encompassing equipment and defense support. A provision of $12 billion is earmarked for FEMA, intended to bolster disaster response and recovery efforts. Notably, $4 billion is designated for U.S.-Mexico border initiatives, encompassing allocations for border management, counter-fentanyl activities, and addressing immigration root causes according to a press release.
“I’m especially pleased to see that the Administration is pursuing a first-of-its-kind comprehensive fentanyl tracking system that I called for in the Senate’s Commerce, Justice, and Science Appropriations bill," Heinrich said. "This system will be critical to better understanding the movement of illicit drugs and more effectively combatting the fentanyl drug epidemic that’s devastating our communities.”
Additional funding provisions encompass counter-fentanyl efforts within the Department of Health and Human Services, child labor investigations by the Department of Labor, and immigration judge teams by the Executive Office for Immigration Review. The proposal also encompasses $2.3 billion in Treasury Department financing tools for infrastructure programs, $60 million to sustain wildland firefighters' pay, and a first-of-its-kind comprehensive fentanyl tracking system initiated by Senator Heinrich.
This legislative action follows a letter from Senators Heinrich and Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), urging Congress to extend pay increases for federal wildland firefighters according to a press release.
“The United States must also continue working with our European allies to support Ukraine’s efforts to defend their democracy and sovereignty," Heinrich said. "It is in America’s national security interest to ensure that Ukraine wins this war. This funding is crucial to getting that done.”
