Senator Hassan Cosponsors Bipartisan Legislation to Improve Veteran Caregiver Program

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH) cosponsored legislation introduced by Senators Gary Peters (D-MI) and Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) to improve the Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) caregiver program. According to reports, caregivers and veterans have been arbitrarily discharged or downgraded from the program, with benefits subsequently revoked or reduced. The Senators’ bipartisan legislation would take a number of steps to give caregivers and veterans an opportunity to appeal any downgrade or termination of benefits and ensure that all caregivers are recognized as part of the clinical team attending to veterans.

Senator Hassan’s Bipartisan Amendment to Address Drone Threat to be Included in Annual Defense Bill

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Senate today added to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) a bipartisan amendment from Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH), a member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, and Committee Chairman Ron Johnson (R-WI). The amendment helps to combat the threat that small, unmanned aircraft systems (drones) pose to U.S. service members worldwide.

Senators Hassan, Shaheen Introduce Resolution Defending Postal Service, Urging More Funding to Offset COVID-19 Losses

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Maggie Hassan and Jeanne Shaheen joined colleagues in introducing a resolution about the importance of the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) and urging increased funding in the next COVID-19 relief package to help it offset losses incurred due to the pandemic. The resolution also makes clear that the USPS should not be forced to reduce its services, close post office facilities, or excessively raise rates. The resolution was led by Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) as well as Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Gary Peters (D-MI).

Senator Hassan Leads Colleagues in Calling for Answers On Nursing Homes Evicting Residents Amid COVID-19 Pandemic

WASHINGTON – Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH) led 11 of her colleagues in calling on the Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to act in response to nursing homes evicting residents during the COVID-19 pandemic. The letter cites New York Times reports that nursing homes have evicted more than 6,400 residents since the beginning of the pandemic.

Senator Hassan Statement on Senate Passage of Legislation to Extend PPP Loan Application Deadline

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan released the following statement after the Senate last night unanimously approved an extension of the deadline for small businesses and non-profits to apply for Paycheck Protection Program loans. The application deadline expired yesterday at midnight and this bipartisan legislation would extend the deadline through August 8, 2020. The legislation now heads to the House of Representatives.

As Eviction Moratorium Expires in NH, Senator Hassan Urges Additional Support to Renters Amid Ongoing Economic Challenges

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan urged the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to help assist renters following the lifting of New Hampshire’s eviction moratorium today. The Senator’s outreach follows conversations with affordable housing leaders in New Hampshire about how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the state’s housing and homelessness needs.

Senator Hassan Takes to Senate Floor to Call for Immediate Action to Protect Nursing Homes, Schools Amid COVID-19 Pandemic

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan joined her colleagues on the Senate floor this evening to deliver two speeches calling for immediate action to protect nursing home residents and staff who have been hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, and calling for additional support for schools.

State of New Hampshire to Receive Almost $8 Million for Homeland Security & Emergency Management; NH Non-Profits, Including Houses of Worship, to Receive More Than $600,000 in Grants to Increase Safety

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) today announced with Representatives Annie Kuster (NH-02) and Chris Pappas (NH-01) that the Department of Homeland Security has awarded New Hampshire nearly $4.3 million for the State Homeland Security Grant Program and more than $3.5 million for the Emergency Management Performance Grant Program. New Hampshire non-profits, including houses of worship, will also receive $635,085 under the Nonprofit Security Grant Program, an increase from the $150,000 New Hampshire received last year. The full list of New Hampshire non-profits to receive funding this year is included below.

Senator Hassan Pushes IRS Commissioner to Send Families Promised COVID-19 Stimulus Payments for Children as Quickly as Possible

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan today pushed Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Commissioner Charles Rettig on the Agency’s efforts to ensure that families who automatically received their COVID-19 stimulus payments will not need to wait until next year to receive the additional $500 payment per dependent child that they were promised.

Senator Hassan Questions Dr. Fauci on Factors Driving Increase of COVID-19 Cases in the U.S.

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan today questioned Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes of Health, and Dr. Robert Redfield, Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about factors driving a rapid increase in COVID-19 cases in the U.S., protections for nursing home residents and staff, and guidance on school reopening, during a Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee hearing. This hearing is the first time in over a month that Dr. Fauci and other members of the White House Coronavirus Task Force have appeared before the Senate.

Senator Hassan Calls For Immediate Action to Support Local Communities Amid COVID-19 Pandemic

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan called for immediate action to support local communities and states in a Senate floor speech this evening. Specifically, the Senator called on Senate Republicans to join Democratic efforts to provide significant and flexible economic relief for state and local governments across the country to help them save lives and preserve jobs.

Senators Hassan, Durbin, Brown, and Warren File Series of NDAA Amendments to Protect Service Members and Veterans from Predatory Higher Education Practices

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) filed a series of amendments to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to protect service members and veterans from predatory higher education practices.

Senator Hassan Statement on Supreme Court’s Decision to Strike Down Restrictive Abortion Law in Louisiana

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan released the following statement after the U.S. Supreme Court issued a ruling to strike down a law in Louisiana that would have drastically limited access to abortion services.

Hassan, Cornyn, Peters, & Portman Introduce Bipartisan Amendment to NDAA to Bolster Cybersecurity at All Levels of Government

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Maggie Hassan (D-NH), John Cornyn (R-TX), Gary Peters (D-MI), and Rob Portman (R-OH) filed a bipartisan amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2021 to require the Department of Homeland Security to establish a Cybersecurity State Coordinator position in every state. Each state would have its own federally funded Cybersecurity Coordinator, who would be responsible for helping to prevent and respond to cybersecurity threats by working with federal, state, and local governments as well as schools, hospitals, and other entities. This amendment mirrors the Cybersecurity State Coordinator Act that the Senators introduced earlier this year, and in March, the Homeland Security Committee voted on a bipartisan basis to approve this legislation.

Senator Hassan, Colleagues Push Administration to Improve Paycheck Protection Program for NH’s Seasonal Businesses

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH) joined Senator Angus King (I-ME) and a group of their colleagues in urging U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Small Business Administration (SBA) Administrator Jovita Carranza to readjust regulatory requirements so that seasonal employers in New Hampshire and across the country can access the full amount of the Paycheck Protection Program loans for which they qualify. The Senators asked the Treasury Department and the SBA to immediately issue a new rule so that seasonal small businesses can access full Paycheck Protection Program funding before the SBA’s guaranty authority expires on June 30.

Senator Hassan Recognizes Emily Aho of Jaffrey as June’s Granite Stater of the Month

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan recognized Emily Aho of Jaffrey as June’s Granite Stater of the Month for her efforts to provide emotional support to health care workers on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Senators Hassan, Carper Call for Aggressive Action Against COVID-19 Scammers, Robocallers

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and Tom Carper (D-DE) – who both serve on the Finance Committee and the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee – are calling on the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Department of Justice (DOJ), Federal Communications Commission (FCC), and Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to aggressively crack down on scammers seeking to take advantage of Americans amid the COVID-19 pandemic. In New Hampshire, the FTC has received more than 1,000 reports of fraud so far this year, resulting in approximately $1.5 million in losses, which is approximately three times higher than reported losses compared to this time last year.

Senator Hassan Leads Homeland Security Committee Democrats in Calling for Answers on Strategic National Stockpile

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH) led Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee (HSGAC) Ranking Member Gary Peters (D-MI) and fellow HSGAC Senators Tom Carper (D-DE), Kamala Harris (D-CA), Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ), and Jacky Rosen (D-NV) in calling for answers from the administration about the Strategic National Stockpile, which is maintained by the federal government to rapidly distribute personal protective equipment and other critical medical supplies during public health emergencies. Senator Hassan serves as the Ranking Member on the HSGAC Subcommittee on Federal Spending Oversight and Emergency Management. 

Senator Hassan Statement on Trump Administration Doubling Down on Efforts to Repeal the Affordable Care Act

WASHINGTON – With the Trump administration expected to formally file a brief with the U.S. Supreme Court today backing a Republican-led lawsuit to strike down the Affordable Care Act, U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan released the following statement:

Senators Hassan, Brown, Reed Lead Colleagues in Calling for Answers Over Difficulties With Stimulus Payments Issued as Debit Cards

WASHINGTON — U.S. Senators Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), and Jack Reed (D-RI) led a group of 15 senators in calling for answers from the Treasury Department about ongoing difficulties facing Americans who received their CARES Act stimulus payments as debit cards.