April 24th, 2025A Slap In The Face

Dear Friend, Spending nearly a year with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as an AmeriCorps member shaped who I am today and how I serve New Mexicans in Congress. It taught me that there is nothing more rewarding than serving others. AmeriCorps members do critical work to invest in New Mexicans’ futures. They prepare our students for the careers they can build their families around in their home communities, connect veterans to services, help fight the opioid epidemic, help older adults age with dignity, rebuild communities after disasters, and improve the physical and mental well-being of our families. Last week, when President Trump, Elon Musk, and their so-called Department of Government Efficiency— “DOGE”—fired most of AmeriCorps’ staff and hundreds of thousands of volunteers around the country, they directly stopped this important work. This is a slap in the face to hardworking families who rely on the work AmeriCorps volunteers do every day. Let me be clear: I will not stand idly by as Musk’s DOGE boys dismantle these vital services New Mexicans rely on in order to line the pockets of President Trump’s billionaire donors. That’s why I co-authored a letter to President Trump that his Administration reverse its shutdown of AmeriCorps. I also shared with the Washington Post how my time in AmeriCorps shaped my own life – and warned how this Administration’s dismantling of AmeriCorps will harm New Mexico families by driving up food insecurity, gutting conservation efforts on our public lands, and devastating educational opportunities. I hope you’ll take a moment to read my thoughts to the Washington Post below. And I hope you’ll continue using your voice by calling your members of Congress and the White House to share just how unpopular these attacks on our lives and futures are. Sincerely, MARTIN HEINRICH United States Senator