Sen. Heinrich became 4th sponsor of Schumer's new UAPDA — ONE day after talking to Ask a Pol...

Sen. Heinrich speaks during a weekly leadership press conference. Photo: Matt Laslo

Who?

Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-NM) — Senate Intel Committee

LISTEN: Laslo & Heinrich

Ask a Pol asks:

Why haven’t you signed on to Senate majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s new UAPDA amendment to this year’s National Defense Authorization Act, as you did last year?

— Ask a Pol asked Sen. Heinrich on July 31, 2024

Key Heinrich: 

“Off the top of my head, I don’t know the answer to that,” Sen. Martin Heinrich exclusively told Ask a Pol. “I’ll have to circle back with my staff.”

Caught our ear: 

“I don’t think there’s been a change, so I’ll figure it out,” Heinrich told Ask a Pol on July 31st.*

*After checking with his staff, the senator co-sponsored the measure the next day, August 1, 2024. Last year, Heinrich was one of six original sponsors of Schumer’s UAPDA.

On August 1st, Sen. Heinrich became the 4th US senator to endorse Schumer’s new UAPDA amendment to this year’s NDAA.

ICYMI: UAPDA exclusive w/ Schumer’s lead co-author

Sen. Rounds: "We’ve got a shot at" getting new UAPDA in NDAA — but it depends on House Intel

Below find a rough transcript of Ask a Pol’s exclusive interview with Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-NM), slightly edited for clarity.

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TRANSCRIPT: Sen. Martin Heinrich

SCENE: Sen. Heinrich’s swiftly moving through the basement of the Capitol before hopping a Senators Only elevator so he can make one of the Senate’s last votes of the summer on July 31, 2024.

Matt Laslo: “Hey, how you doing, sir?”

Martin Heinrich: “Hey.”

ML: “Curious, why haven’t you signed on to Schumer’s new UAPDA amendment?”

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MH: “Oh I’ll have to take a look. I’ve been so up to my eyeballs in permitting reform…”

ML: “Yeah?”

Laslo laughs.

MH: “…that — I actually off the top of my head, I don’t know the answer to that. So this is for the NDAA?”

ML: “Yeah, you were on it last year with [Sens.] Gillibrand, Schumer, Rubio, Young.”

MH: “I’ll have to circle back with my staff. I don’t think it’s…

ML: “Yeah?”

MH: “Yeah. I don’t think there’s been a change, so I’ll figure it out.”

ML: “Preciate ya.”

Laslo repeats the last phrase from the interview into his mic as the senator walks away “I don’t think there’s been a change, so I’ll figure it out.”

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