WASHINGTON U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine L. Chao announced today that the U.S. Department of Transportation will award $1.5 million in airport safety and infrastructure grants to seven airports in New Mexico. This investment in New Mexicos airports is part of a $520.5 million national investment in Americas airports that was announced today by Secretary Chao.

This $520.5 million in federal support to airports across the country will help to keep our nations airports in good shape and make air travel a better experience for passengers, said U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine L. Chao.

With this announcement, the Trump Administration has invested a historic $11.42 billion in more than two thousand American airports across the United States for safety and infrastructure improvements since January 2017.

The airports receiving Airport Improvement Program grants in New Mexico include:

• Cavern City Air Terminal$75,000 to fund the reconstruction of a runway.
• Carrizozo Municipal Airport$405,000 to fund reconstruction of an apron.
• Deming Municipal Airport$157,500 to fund the rehabilitation of an apron.
• Ohkay Owingeh Airport$270,000 to fund pavement sealing for runway, taxiway and apron surfaces and joints.
• Gallup Municipal Airport$153,000 to fund the sealing of apron pavement surfaces and joints.
• Hatch Municipal Airport$280,000 to fund the sealing of apron, runway and taxiway pavement surfaces and joints.
• Portales Municipal Airport$150,000 to fund the sealing of taxiway pavement surfaces and joints.

The Administration not only supports infrastructure through funding it is making it possible to deliver these much-needed improvements more quickly. The Department is working hard to streamline the approval process, cut unnecessary red tape and reduce unnecessary, duplicative regulations that do not contribute to safety.

These investments and reforms are especially timely because the U.S. economy is surging. Employers have added more than7 millionjobs since January 2017. To kick off the new decade, a robust 225,000 American jobs were added in January 2020 and the unemployment rate is still a remarkable3.6 percentthelowest in 50 years.

Aviation is an important part of that growth. According to the Federal Aviation Administration, U.S. civil aviation supports more than5%of U.S. gross domestic product;$1.6 trillionin economic activity; and nearly11 millionjobs.

Americas airports provide a gateway to the world for our citizens while at the same time delivering first impressions of the United States to visitors from abroad, said FAA Administrator Steve Dickson. Its in our national interest to make them the crown jewel in our transportation system. The Airport Improvement Program allows us to do just that.