ALBUQUERQUE - U.S. Senator Tom Udall delivered the following remarks about growing New Mexico's economy at an event hosted by the Greater Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce and the Albuquerque Bar Association. In his speech, Udall discussed why we need to end across-the-board federal budget cuts known as "sequestration" for good, how improving child well-being is crucial for our state's future workforce, his work to strengthen New Mexico's labs and bases, and other priorities.
Below are Udall's remarks as prepared for delivery.
Thank you, Tom. I appreciate your kind words. It's great to be here, with the Chamber and with the Bar Association.
Thank you for inviting me. I always look forward to this, Terri. We always have a good dialogue and I appreciate it.
It's also good to see my fellow lawyers. As many of you know, I'm a lawyer by training. Lawyers get a lot of jokes - almost as many as politicians! My Uncle Mo used to tell the story about a young man running for office and trying to get an endorsement. The meeting was going well, until he was asked, "You're not one of those dang lawyers are you?" And he answered, "Well, yes I am. But, if it helps, I'm not much of one!"
First, I want to congratulate the Energy Star winners. Thank you. You're doing great work. And I also want to commend PNM for your investments in wind and solar.
We need to do it all. That is key. I have introduced legislation in the Senate for innovative energy and water efficiency programs. And for a renewable electricity standard. New Mexico can be a leader in a clean energy economy. We can protect our planet and create jobs for the future.
A couple years ago, I co-hosted the annual water conference at New Mexico State. As you all know, we're in one of the worst droughts in our state's history. So we brought in folks from all over New Mexico. Engineers. Scientists. Farmers and ranchers. Everybody. To look at solutions.
I remember talking to one of the participants that day. He said, "We want to get to the truth...we don't want to hear a bunch of lies." He was right. That was exactly the point.
And that is what I want to do today. To talk about how we can move forward in New Mexico. And to tell the truth.
The truth is - the challenges facing our state did not happen overnight. And we won't solve them overnight either.
The truth is - and we all know this - New Mexico is not where it should be.
I've come to talk to you many times over the years. I normally spend the time giving you a report about how things are going in Washington. Don't worry - I'm still going to do that.
But, I want to take a moment to talk about something that impacts all of us - and our future. I'm talking about the state of New Mexico's children. The next generation of leaders, business owners, workers and citizens.
The truth is, we have a crisis on our hands. And we need to deal with it together - as a state, as a community, as families working together.
In New Mexico, one in three children lives in poverty. For Native American children, it's even higher - it's 44 percent. One in five children goes to bed hungry. Their parents can't find adequate child care. They can't get quality medical care when they need it. They lack access to safe housing and clean water.
This has to change. The future - not just for our children, but for our economy - depends on changing it.
And we can change it. Let's commit to the programs that help children reach their full potential. That means infant and toddler care. Preschool. And home visiting programs.
A recent White House report tells the story. These programs make a difference. They get results. And in the long run they save money - more than $8 dollars for every $1 dollar invested.
I want to do everything I can in Washington to make sure our children can get a good start. We need a Marshall Plan for children. That's why I introduced the Saving Our Next Generation (SONG) Act. We should fully pay for what works. Early intervention now has big pay-offs later.
Children have to come first. And New Mexico can't keep coming in last. Many of you are working hard at this. But, I want to challenge all of us to keep working - and pushing your leaders and communities to do more.
It will take time - and it will take all of us working together. Federal, state and local. Public and private. And parents themselves. I support the constitutional amendment to dedicate a portion of the state's permanent fund to improving child well-being. If we fail to address childhood poverty, we will fail at everything else.
We all have the same goal. Straight down the line. A better future for our children, and to grow our economy.
My top priority in Washington is jobs. You have a handout - of some of the things I have been working on to help our state move forward.
When I first came to the Senate our nation's economy was in free fall. We were losing 20,000 jobs a day. Every day. Our financial system was crashing. Deficits were at historic highs.
It has been a long road back. But, we have made progress. We've had 63 straight months of job growth. 12.6 million more private sector jobs across the country. The deficit cut in half. Retirement savings are in a better place. Unemployment is coming down. Growth has been slower in New Mexico. But we're also seeing improvement here at home. New Mexico's unemployment rate was 8 percent in 2010. It's 6.2 percent today.
The federal government is only part of the economic picture. But, it is a very big part. The Governor's budget is about $6 billion dollars. Federal spending in New Mexico was over $21 billion dollars in fiscal year 2014. Over three times as large.
These dollars help fuel our economy. Also, more of the federal contracting dollars sent to New Mexico should stay with New Mexico companies. I have worked on this for a long time now - and will continue to. I have worked with many of you directly when the contracting process isn't working. I've also introduced legislation to make it harder for contracting officers to bundle contracts. And I am fighting to make sure DOE isn't bundling contracts out of state for our local labs.
To make sure federal dollars have the biggest impact in New Mexico, we need Washington to work. And it's not working very well now. We can't keep lurching from crisis to crisis. That's just roller coaster government. We have to get past the shutdowns and showdowns. Get past sequestration cuts for New Mexico and the nation.
Democrats avoided sequestration the past two years. But leadership in Washington has changed. And we are right back in the same ditch. This is blind man's bluff. Sequestration is misguided, and I will continue to oppose it.
These slash and burn automatic cuts directly impact New Mexicans. And the proposed funding cuts this year would hurt. Our labs, our bases - all could be hit if things don't change. That's bad for New Mexico. Bad for our economy. Bad for our security.
For example, proposed funding levels for clean-up at LANL and safe re-opening at WIPP. Cut. Veterans services. Cut. Education. Cut. Water and transportation. Border security. Cut. It's a long list.
I support a more balanced solution. We need to continue to reduce the deficit. But, also invest in our future. So I am pushing both parties in Washington to reach a budget deal now and avoid yet another budget crisis at the end of the fiscal year.
I'm also pushing to build on New Mexico's strengths. We are home to the best scientists in the world. We have tremendous natural resources. We have great entrepreneurs. We have to create a climate that supports them in every way we can.
I think we all agree on one thing. We have to build a strong - and more diverse - private sector economy.
The future depends on setting the right priorities on innovation and on new partnerships.
Recently, I was pleased to be here for the opening of Epicenter. It's a great example of what we can do when we work together. I was proud to push for the $1.5 million dollar Economic Development Administration grant to help create the Innovate Albuquerque campus. And I also led the delegation's effort to support the Innovate Central TIGER grant application. These federal investments help create jobs and connect the city.
Our national labs are also doing a terrific job maintaining our nuclear deterrent, creating new technologies, and contributing to national security and energy issues.
As a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, I will keep working to ensure that the labs have the resources they need. I fought for the B61 life extension project and also for the labs to recruit and retain the best scientific and engineering talent. As a result of this work, funding for Sandia has been at its highest levels in years.
However, we also need to move that work from the lab bench to the market place. We need to help start-ups better access venture capital. It should be a top priority.
Congress passed legislation I introduced last year for DOE to prioritize spending on tech transfer, and also to increase funding at DOD. And for an innovative pilot program for public-private partnerships.
New Mexico can lead in high-tech. This is common ground - and it is solid ground. Something we can all support.
That's why we are also pushing for the Advanced Photonics Manufacturing Consortium to be one of the President's manufacturing hubs. And I congratulate UNM on being a finalist for this. It could mean up to $1.3 billion dollars in federal investment for optics and light-based technologies, right here in Albuquerque.
New high-tech jobs won't do much good though if we don't have workers who can fill them. I strongly support STEM education so our workers have those skills in math, science and technology.
We also need to make infrastructure dollars go as far as possible. We have plenty of examples. Right here in New Mexico.
Five years ago, I pushed for a $10 million dollar grant from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to expand the Santa Teresa port.
The new Union Pacific rail facility opened last year in Santa Teresa. Our trade with Mexico is booming. From $50 million dollars - just 15 years ago - to over $1.5 billion dollars today, almost doubling in just the past year.
As a member of the Commerce Committee - which has oversight over rail transportation - I'm working to make sure we are investing in freight rail infrastructure. Building for the future, so New Mexico can continue to grow as a transportation and logistics hub, especially for imports and exports.
We all want to see that growth continue. Because we know those railroad tracks bring more than freight. They bring new business. New jobs. New hope.
We still have a lot to do. We have to upgrade our roads. We have to manage critical water resources.
Federal dollars are almost half of New Mexico's total transportation budget - and 70 percent of funding for our highways and bridges. The Highway Trust Fund runs out of money in August. We can't let that happen.
We also have to make sure our military bases have the resources they need. I will do all I can as a member of the Defense and Military Construction Appropriations subcommittees.
I'm pleased that Colonel Froehlich is here with us today. Kirtland Air Force Base is one of the most dynamic bases in the country. And I have worked to maintain this by securing funding for vital military construction. And for missions such as ORS, which is revolutionizing satellite technology.
I will continue to push for increased funding for research and development, which is critical for the Air Force Research Lab and growing space mission at Kirtland.
I am proud to be your partner in Washington to fight for investments that make sense - that grow our economy, that invest in Albuquerque's future.
This is not a Republican or Democrat thing. This is a New Mexico thing. These should be our priorities.
That means building a strong middle class. Helping working families. And it means doing more for small businesses. Small businesses are the engine of our economy. They create most new jobs. They deserve a fair tax policy.
We cannot ask Main Street to keep sacrificing - while we fail to close tax loopholes on Wall Street. We cannot ask our national labs and senior citizens and veterans to make do with less.
We need tax reform that supports small business and the middle class. You shouldn't need a whole accounting and legal department to be able to file your taxes. Our economy is recovering. But, the benefit needs to go to all Americans - not just those at the top.
Every hardworking American should have the chance to get ahead. That is crucial - to our values, to our communities and to our economy. Henry Ford got it right years ago. Build more cars - but make sure workers can afford to buy them.
I know that every day you all do the heavy lifting. Creating new business. Bringing new jobs. Helping families that want to be here, who want to raise their children here.
Thank you for all you do. We may not always agree - but it is always my privilege to work with you. I believe that - working together - we can build a brighter future for Albuquerque and for New Mexico.
Thank you again for inviting me. Now, I want to hear from you. And I'm happy to take your questions.
