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Concord, NH -- As the Trump Administration, with the support of Governor Sununu, continues working to sabotage the health care system and raise costs on consumers, New Hampshire’s first-in-the-nation, all-women Democratic delegation continues fighting to protect health care for hard-working Granite Staters.
“Everyday Granite Staters worry about the cost of health care,” said Chair Ray Buckley. “No one should have to worry about being able to afford quality care, medication and procedural costs, or treatment for substance use. Our delegation has stood strong against Republicans’ efforts to raise costs and repeal health care from millions of Americans, with our two Senators casting critical votes to defeat a backward repeal attempt last year. We are grateful to have tireless fighters for the people of New Hampshire in Congress with a strong record of delivering grants, resources, and supporting the health and well-being of our people however they can.”
To highlight a few of our delegation’s achievements this year:
This month, the Senate passed the Opioid Crisis Response Act of 2018, bipartisan legislation that marks the next step in the federal response to the opioid crisis. Senator Hassan helped develop the legislation as a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, and the legislation includes critical priorities Senators Hassan and Shaheen have long fought for;
Our delegation helped secure nearly $30M in funding to combat the opioid epidemic;
Senator Shaheen led efforts, which Senator Hassan supported, to ensure that so-called cost-sharing reduction payments are made, which help reduce out-of-pocket costs for hard-working Granite Staters;
Senator Shaheen secured an additional $10 million in federal dollars to continue the national health study on the effects of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) exposure, a study Shaheen established last year;
Senators Shaheen and Hassan stood up to remind Granite Staters of the 2018 health coverage on the Affordable Care Act enrollment process, which the Trump administration attempted to hide through drastic cuts to advertising to inform consumers about the enrollment period;
Representative Annie Kuster joined her colleagues in introducing (H.R.6867), a bill that requires the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to take immediate action to standardize the level of care delivered at the VA’s Community-Based Outpatient Clinics;
Our delegation also secured a $20 million National Science Foundation (NSF) grant to support New Hampshire’s Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (NH EPSCoR), which will expand research capacity in the design and development of potentially lifesaving biomaterials using 3D printing at the University of New Hampshire;
Our delegation secured $119,297 in federal grants to support crisis intervention training for first responders by ways of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) of New Hampshire from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS);
Our delegation helped secure nearly $2.66 million in federal funding that was used to provide Manchester residents with a variety of services, in part including, access to healthcare, support for abused or neglected children, affordable housing, independent living and support for the elderly, and youth services;
Congresswomen Kuster and Shea-Porter stood up against House Republicans who sought to cut $537 billion from Medicare and $1.5 trillion from Medicaid and other health programs, which would have ultimately harmed seniors, children, people with disabilities, and other vulnerable individuals; and
Our delegation stood up against the Trump administration’s release of a draft domestic gag rule, which imposed strict restrictions on family planning programs that participate in the Title X program, cutting off women’s access to reproductive healthcare.
“There is not a moment that passes that our delegation isn’t working hard on behalf of New Hampshire families,” continued Buckley. “They’re able to work across the aisle to help secure much needed resources for our state."
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