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This week, Granite Staters slammed Chris Sununu for his recent comments supporting Mitch McConnell’s long-held goal of eviscerating Social Security and Medicare. During his COVID press conference, Sununu said he won’t extend the state deadline for towns to apply for American Rescue Plan Funds, and struggled to answer questions about why New Hampshire’s vaccination rate is last in New England. Sununu Slammed For Supporting McConnell’s Long-Held Goal of Slashing Social Security and Medicare. Last week, Sununu appeared on the podcast ‘Ruthless,’ hosted by Mitch McConnell consultant Josh Holmes. In the interview, Sununu made clear that if he were to run for Senate, his primary goal would be to slash spending for Social Security and Medicare. Local leaders called Sununu out at a press conference this Thursday, and the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare also sharply criticized Sununu for the threat his extreme agenda poses to the 317,000 Granite Staters who rely on Social Security. Read more: WMUR, InDepthNH, and The Union Leader. Sununu’s Failure to Extend State Deadline Could Cut Communities Out of ARP Funds For Years. At Thursday’s COVID-19 briefing, Sununu made clear that he has the power to extend the deadline for towns to apply for American Rescue Plan funds — but is refusing to do so. Sununu’s failure to extend the deadline could cut towns and communities out of critical federal funding for the next two years. Multiple New Hampshire outlets have reported that communities need additional time to apply for ARP funding — time that Sununu is refusing to give them. Read more from NH Bulletin and the Union Leader. Sununu Bashed Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill. Twice in two days, Sununu refused to support the bipartisan infrastructure deal that will help repair New Hampshire’s roads and bridges, expand access to high-speed internet, and invest in clean energy and coastal resiliency. In an interview with Jack Heath, Sununu repeatedly bashed the bipartisan infrastructure deal. And later this week in Lebanon, Sununu criticized the deal when asked, and compared it to the American Rescue Plan, which he opposed. By lining up against the deal supported by 19 Senate Republicans, Sununu made clear that he stands against bipartisan legislation that will create jobs and grow NH’s economy. Sununu Struggled to Answer Questions About New Hampshire’s Struggling Vaccination Campaign. New Hampshire’s rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine continues to struggle — and the Granite State is now the last in New England for vaccinations. When asked about the struggling rollout, and the fact that the vaccination rate actually dropped over the past two weeks, Chris Sununu’s administration refused to answer — and lashed out at critics instead of offering solutions as the Delta variant surges. Read more from InDepthNH and WMUR. Sununu Criticized for Touting American Rescue Plan Funds He Said He Would Have Voted Against. On Wednesday, State Senator Sue Prentiss criticized Sununu for visiting Lebanon to tout American Rescue Plan funds after Sununu said in February that he “would be a no vote” on the ARP and the critical funding it provided to Granite Staters. Read more from the Valley News.
“State Sen. Sue Prentiss, D-Lebanon, said if it were up to Sununu, ‘New Hampshire wouldn’t have received millions of dollars in COVID relief to bolster our vaccination efforts, help get students back in school and support small businesses reopen and rehire.’”
Read What Granite Staters Are Saying About Chris Sununu: Union Leader: Jon Morgan: Vouchers Will Damage Public Education, Raise Property Taxes “Enough is enough. Students, educators, and taxpayers deserve schools where every child can thrive. We need to improve the opportunity of public education, not pursue schemes that siphon funds away from public schools to boost wealthy private and religious schools. Sununu’s voucher plan is bad for our students, bad for our educators, and bad for property taxpayers.” Eagle Times: Virginia Irwin: Sununu Taking Pages From the McConnell Playbook “If that kind of extreme, partisan politics practiced by Sununu sounds familiar, it’s because we have seen it practiced for over a decade in Washington by Mitch McConnell. By jamming through these extreme and polarizing policies with no regard to the consequences to people’s lives, Sununu is clearly taking his cues from McConnell.” Portsmouth Herald: Jennifer Glynn: Pro-Choice Governors Don’t Sign Abortion Bans Into Law “By signing this into law, Sununu has chosen to show N.H. women that they are not worthy enough to have their well-being taken into consideration. I ask all of you to show Sununu that we see him for what he really is and that we do not find him worthy enough to continue to hold public office.” Portsmouth Herald: Rich DiPentima: Hypocrisy and Inconsistency in NH Bodily Autonomy Bills “At the conclusion of the 2021 legislative session, Governor Sununu signed two very controversial and dangerous bills, HB 220, and HB2. [...] Those who allowed such egregious legislation to become law need to be held accountable. They have placed their own personal political fortunes and aspirations above the public health and the rights of women.”