Biden touches down in NM; part of three-state tour to highlight key projects

President Joe Biden and Air Force One touched down at Kirtland Air Force Base on Tuesday evening as part of a three-state tour, during which Biden is expected to highlight what his administration sees as key policy achievements during his first term.

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and Sens. Martin Heinrich and Ben Ray Luján, all Democrats, greeted the president on the tarmac shortly after he landed at around 5 p.m. under skies still cloudy from afternoon rains. He left shortly after in a motorcade with a strong police presence. Biden will overnight in Albuquerque before continuing his tour with a public event in the state on Wednesday.

During his time in New Mexico, Biden is expected to speak about clean energy investments his administration has made as part of legislation that aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The visit comes amid a recent heatwave — temperatures in the Albuquerque area topped 100 degrees 15 times in July — and just a year after forest lands throughout northern New Mexico were ravaged by wildfires, including the largest in state history.

Ahead of his visit to the state, Biden amended a previous disaster declaration to make 100% of certain types of recovery projects needed after the Cerro Pelado Fire last year eligible for federal assistance. The U.S. Forest Service announced last month that the April 2022 wildfire was caused by pile burns set by the Forest Service.

The federal money can be used to repair damage caused by wildfires, straight-line winds, flooding, mudflows and debris flows, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Eligible projects include repairing public infrastructure such as roads, bridges, buildings, equipment, utilities and parks, as well as other work.

New Mexico is the second stop on Biden’s tour, during which he is expected to showcase conservation, clean energy and veterans benefits ahead of the 2024 campaign cycle. On Tuesday, he visited Arizona, where he announced the creation of a new monument that will protect nearly a million acres around the Grand Canyon from future uranium mining.

After he leaves New Mexico on Wednesday, Biden is expected to travel to Salt Lake City to promote the PACT Act, which provides new protections to veterans who were exposed to toxic chemicals.

Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, the first Native American Cabinet secretary and a former U.S. congresswoman from New Mexico, joined Biden in Arizona for his announcement about the new national monument, which is called Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni — Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument.

“Baaj Nwaajo” means “where tribes roam” for Havasupai people, and “I’tah Kukvenie” translates to “our footprints” for the Hopi tribe. The monument will preserve roughly 1,500 square miles around Grand Canyon National Park, according to a White House announcement.

“It’s not hyperbole to suggest there is no national treasure, none, that is grander than the Grand Canyon,” Biden said during his remarks. “The Grand Canyon — one of the Earth’s (seven) wonders.”

Biden was also expected to hold a fundraiser in each city on his tour, according to The Associated Press.

The president is expected to speak about the Inflation Reduction Act during his visit to the state. The bill, which was signed into law a year ago, aims to reduce health care costs and greenhouse gas emissions while also raising taxes on corporations and wealthy investors.

The trip marks Biden’s third to New Mexico in the last two years. He visited the state in June 2022 when he flew over the perimeter of the largest wildfire in state history, and in November 2022 just before the mid-term elections.

Albuquerque police said drivers should expect traffic delays throughout the president’s visit. On Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning, drivers are asked to avoid Interstate 25 south of Interstate 40 and I-40 west of the Big I.

Gilbert Gallegos, a police spokesman, said parking is prohibited on the streets that the president’s motorcade is using. Any vehicles that do park will be towed.