Press Releases
Shaheen & Hassan Join Bipartisan, Bicameral Request for VA Plan to Repay $286 Million in Home Loan Fees Erroneously Charged to Disabled Veterans
(Washington, DC) — Yesterday, U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) joined a bipartisan, bicameral group of lawmakers on a letter to Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary Robert Wilkie, requesting information on the Department’s plans to repay $286.4 million in home loan fees that were erroneously charged to thousands of exempted veterans as part of the VA Home Loan Program. The request was led by Senator John Tester (D-MT), the lead Democrat on the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, and Congressman Mike Levin (D-CA), Chair of the House Veterans Affairs Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity.
… Continue ReadingJune 26, 2019
Bipartisan Legislation Backed by NH Delegation to Help “Blue Water” Navy Veterans Secure Veterans Benefits Signed into Law
(Washington, DC) – U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH), and Representatives Annie Kuster (NH-02) and Chris Pappas (NH-01), issued the following statements after the Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act was signed into law last night. The bipartisan bill was backed by every member of New Hampshire’s Congressional delegation, and would create a permanent legislative fix to help ensure “Blue Water” Navy veterans get the disability and health care benefits they deserve as a result of exposure to the dangerous pesticide Agent Orange during the Vietnam War.
… Continue ReadingJune 25, 2019
Senator Hassan Recognizes the Students of Gilford High School’s Introduction to Engineering Class as June 2019 Granite Staters of the Month
WASHINGTON – Senator Maggie Hassan today recognized the students of Gilford High School’s Introduction to Engineering class as the June 2019 Granite Staters of the Month for successfully creating personalized, easy-to-use mobility devices for three young students in their community who experience disabilities.
… Continue ReadingJune 25, 2019
Senator Hassan, Colleagues Urge HELP Committee Leadership to Hold A Hearing on Negative Consequences of Family Separation on Children
WASHINGTON – Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH) joined her colleagues in calling on the leadership of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee – on which she serves – to hold a hearing on the health and safety conditions for migrant children, and the potential negative health effects of the Trump Administration’s family separation policy. Senator Tina Smith (D-MN) led the letter, which was sent to HELP Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-TN) and Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-WA).
… Continue ReadingJune 20, 2019
Senator Hassan Calls for Senate to Take Action to Prevent Gun Violence, Expand Background Checks to All Gun Sales
WASHINGTON – Senator Maggie Hassan took to the Senate floor today to call for her colleagues in the Senate to take action to prevent gun violence and expand background checks to all gun sales. The Senator’s speech comes on the heels of the fourth anniversary of the shooting at Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston and the three-year anniversary of the massacre at Pulse nightclub in Orlando.
… Continue ReadingJune 20, 2019
Shaheen & Hassan Introduce Legislation to Restore Funding for Programs that Help Americans Sign Up for Quality, Affordable Health Insurance
(Washington, DC) – U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) worked with a group of Senators led by Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Bob Casey (D-PA) to introduce the Expand Navigators’ Resources for Outreach, Learning, and Longevity (ENROLL) Act to restore funding for the Navigator program that helps American families get the information and support they need to find quality health care plans at a price they can afford. The House companion legislation passed as part of H.R. 987 last month, 234-183.
… Continue ReadingJune 19, 2019
Committee Passes Bipartisan Bill Introduced by Senators Hassan, Lankford to Prevent Government Shutdowns
WASHINGTON, DC – Senators James Lankford (R-OK) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) today applauded passage of their Prevent Government Shutdowns Act in the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee today. The Senators’ Grant Reporting Efficiency and Agreements Transparency (GREAT) Act, which reforms federal grant reporting processes, and Lankford’s Early Participation in Regulations Act to direct agencies to issue advanced notices for major rules, also passed the Committee today.
… Continue ReadingJune 19, 2019
Bipartisan Hassan-Backed Bills to Strengthen Homeland Security, Bolster Counterterrorism & Cybersecurity Efforts Pass Committee
WASHINGTON – The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, on which Senator Maggie Hassan sits, today voted to approve several bipartisan measures backed by Senator Hassan to strengthen homeland security, bolster counterterrorism and cybersecurity efforts, improve government efficiency, and save taxpayer dollars.
… Continue ReadingJune 19, 2019
Senator Hassan Highlights Granite State Business Hurt By President Trump’s Tariffs During Finance Committee Hearing With U.S. Trade Representative Lighthizer
WASHINGTON – Senator Maggie Hassan yesterday, during a Senate Finance Committee hearing with U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, highlighted the harmful impact that President Trump’s tariffs are having on businesses like NEMO Equipment in Dover, New Hampshire. The Senator specifically raised the importance of having a functional exclusion process in place, so that businesses can make the case to the United States Trade Representative for exempting particular products from the Section 301 tariffs.
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June 18, 2019
In Major Step Forward to End Surprise Medical Billing, Senate HELP Committee Holds Hearing on Bipartisan Health Costs Legislation
WASHINGTON – Senator Maggie Hassan today joined her colleagues on the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee in holding a hearing on ending the practice of surprise medical billing – an important step in Senator Hassan’s bipartisan efforts to pass legislation to end this absurd practice.
… Continue ReadingJune 17, 2019
Senators Hassan, Grassley Urge President Trump to Swiftly Fill Critical Inspector General Vacancies to Help Root Out Waste, Fraud, and Abuse
WASHINGTON – Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Ranking Member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Subcommittee on Federal Spending Oversight and Emergency Management, and Senate Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA), sent a letter to President Donald Trump today, urging him to swiftly nominate qualified individuals to fill critical Inspector General (IG) vacancies across the federal government.
Senators: “Filling IG vacancies is an important step toward ensuring that taxpayer dollars are spent wisely.”
… Continue ReadingJune 17, 2019
Shaheen, Hassan Join Push for Affordable Over-the-Counter Birth Control
(Washington, DC) – Last week, U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) joined a group of lawmakers led by U.S Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) in introducing the Affordability is Access Act, legislation to make sure over-the-counter birth control is affordable and accessible for women across the country.
… Continue ReadingJune 14, 2019
Senators Hassan, Shaheen Join in Introducing Bipartisan Legislation to Establish Affordable Housing Task Force
WASHINGTON — Senators Maggie Hassan and Jeanne Shaheen this week joined a group of their colleagues in reintroducing the bipartisan Task Force on the Impact of the Affordable Housing Crisis Act, which aims to better understand and respond to America’s housing affordability crisis by creating a bipartisan housing task force.
… Continue ReadingJune 14, 2019
Cortez Masto, Schumer, Klobuchar and Hassan Introduce Legislation to Deter Illegal Robocalls
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) today introduced the Deter Obnoxious, Nefarious, and Outrageous Telephone (DO NOT) Call Act of 2019 with Senators Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.). This legislation will improve enforcement and enhance penalties for violations made under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA). Though the current statute outlaws initiating a robocall without the consent of an individual, these calls continue to surge. In 2017 alone, over 30.5 billion robocalls were initiated. These calls are generally illegal and are frequently used to defraud and scam elderly Americans. In 2015, Americans lost $7.4 billion to telephone scams.
… Continue ReadingJune 13, 2019
Senators Lankford, Enzi, Peters, Hassan Reintroduce GREAT Act to Standardize Federal Grant Reporting
WASHINGTON, DC – Senators James Lankford (R-OK), Mike Enzi, (R-WY), Gary Peters (D-MI), and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) today reintroduced the Grant Reporting Efficiency and Agreements Transparency (GREAT) Act. The GREAT Act would require the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the leading administrator of grant programs to create a comprehensive and standardized data structure to cover all data elements reported by recipients of federal awards, including grants and cooperative agreements.
… Continue ReadingJune 13, 2019
Bipartisan Legislation Backed By Senators Hassan, Shaheen to Get “Blue Water” Navy Veterans Benefits They Deserve Heads to President’s Desk for Signature
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Senate unanimously passed bipartisan legislation yesterday supported by Senators Maggie Hassan and Jeanne Shaheen to ensure that thousands of “Blue Water” Navy veterans can receive the disability and health care benefits they deserve after their exposure to the dangerous pesticide Agent Orange while fighting in the Vietnam War. The bipartisan Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act creates a permanent legislative fix to ensure that these veterans get their benefits, and is now on the way to the President’s desk to be signed into law.
… Continue ReadingJune 13, 2019
Senator Hassan Presses Homeland Security Nominee on Commitment to Preventing Homegrown Terrorism
WASHINGTON – Senator Maggie Hassan yesterday questioned Chad Wolf, nominee for Under Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), about the Department’s commitment to preventing homegrown terrorism.
… Continue ReadingJune 13, 2019
Senators Hassan, Cassidy Lead Bipartisan Group of Senators in Introducing Legislation to Close Loophole that Allows Pharmaceutical Companies to Overcharge Taxpayers
WASHINGTON – Senators Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and Bill Cassidy (R-LA) led a group of Senators in introducing the bipartisan Fair and Accurate Medicaid Pricing (AMP) Act of 2019 to close a loophole in the Medicaid rebate program that results in big pharmaceutical companies overcharging taxpayers. Due to the loophole, drug companies can underpay Medicaid rebate costs owed to state programs, leading states to incur higher costs for prescription drugs. Senators Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), John Cornyn (R-TX), Ben Cardin (D-MD), and Todd Young (R-IN) also joined in introducing the bipartisan legislation.
… Continue ReadingJune 12, 2019
Senator Hassan Joins Colleagues in Introducing Comprehensive Legislation to Address Skyrocketing Prescription Drug Prices
WASHINGTON – Senator Maggie Hassan, a member of the Senate Finance Committee and Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, today joined Senator Tina Smith (D-MN) and a group of their colleagues in introducing comprehensive legislation to hold large pharmaceutical companies accountable and bring down skyrocketing prescription drug costs.
… Continue ReadingJune 12, 2019
Shaheen, Hassan & Bipartisan Group of Senators Introduce Post-Traumatic Stress Resolution
(Washington, DC) – U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), a senior member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH) introduced a resolution yesterday with a bipartisan group of Senators led by Dan Sullivan (R-AK) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), designating the month of June as National Post-Traumatic Stress Awareness Month and June 27th as National Post-Traumatic Stress Awareness Day.
… Continue Reading