Ben Ray Luján has represented New Mexico in the United States Senate since January 2021. He previously served as U.S. Representative for New Mexico’s Third Congressional District and House Assistant Speaker in the 116th Congress.
Senator Luján sits on the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation; the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP); the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry; the Committee on Indian Affairs; and the Committee on the Budget.
Senator Luján grew up in Nambé, a small farming community north of Santa Fe, bordered by the Nambé and Pojoaque Pueblos. It was there that he learned New Mexico values, including hard work, dedication, and perseverance, from his family and community.
Sandia and Los Alamos National Laboratories are critical to New Mexico’s innovation economy and national gems of scientific discovery and technical capability—from combatting climate change, to discovering the origins of our universe, to supporting our national security needs. As COVID-19 continues to disrupt to the supply chain, our National Labs are harnessing their assets to address the bottleneck. Supporting the workforce employed by the labs and funding for their work is crucial and a top priority for Ben. In order to continue to further innovation across every industry, our labs need modern, up-to-date infrastructure and ample resources.