Press Releases
Thune, Hassan Introduce Bill to Improve Railroad Infrastructure
WASHINGTON — U.S. Sens. John Thune (R-S.D.), a member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, and Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.) today introduced the Railroad Rehabilitation and Financing Innovation Act, legislation to improve the Railroad Rehabilitation and Improvement Financing (RRIF) loan program by providing dedicated funding for RRIF financing costs, streamlining the application process, and extending loan terms for certain assets.
… Continue ReadingMay 21, 2020
Senator Hassan Statement on Trump Administration’s Decision to End National Guard Deployment One Day Before Many Would Qualify for Benefits During COVID-19
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan released the following statement about the Trump administration’s decision to end the deployment of the National Guard to help respond to the COVID-19 pandemic one day before members would qualify for additional federal education and retirement benefits.
… Continue ReadingMay 20, 2020
Senators Hassan and Shaheen Introduce Legislation to Reinstate Critical 48-Hour Review Period for Veterans’ Disability Claims Process
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) joined Senators Jon Tester (D-MT), Joe Manchin (D-WV), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), and Mazie Hirono (D-HI) in introducing legislation to ensure that veterans and their representatives have 48 hours to review and dispute disability claims before they are finalized to make sure that veterans don’t lose out on the benefits that they have earned and deserve.
… Continue ReadingMay 19, 2020
NH Congressional Delegation Calls for Action on Incorrect or Missing Stimulus Payments Following Concerns Raised by Constituents
WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senators Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Representatives Annie Kuster (NH-02) and Chris Pappas (NH-01) called on the Treasury Department and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to help individuals who did not receive their COVID-19 stimulus payments or received inaccurate payments as soon as possible. The letter follows concerns raised by Granite Staters who have not received their full stimulus payments.
… Continue ReadingMay 19, 2020
Senator Hassan Statement on New Hampshire’s Unemployment Rate Reaching a Record 16.3%
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan released the below statement following the announcement that New Hampshire’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for April hit a record 16.3 percent.
… Continue ReadingMay 18, 2020
Senators Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Expedite Staffing for Pandemic Recovery Watchdog
WASHINGTON – A bipartisan group of senators led by Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) today introduced legislation to boost oversight of trillions in taxpayer funded pandemic relief by helping the special watchdog quickly onboard critical oversight staff. The Special Inspector General for Pandemic Recovery Expedited Hiring Authority Act allows the office to bypass the lengthy government hiring process to so it can quickly ramp up oversight operations. The bill is cosponsored by Banking Committee Chairman Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) and senators Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) and Cory Booker (D-N.J.).
… Continue ReadingMay 18, 2020
NH Delegation Calls on Treasury to Strengthen Paycheck Protection Program to Support Granite State Businesses
Manchester, N.H. – Today Representatives Chris Pappas (NH-01) and Annie Kuster (NH-02) along with their Senate colleagues Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) sent a letter to the Secretary Steven Mnuchin calling on the Treasury to make adjustments to the Payroll Protection Program (PPP) so that it can more effectively serve the needs of Granite State small businesses.
… Continue ReadingMay 18, 2020
Senator Hassan Cosponsors Bipartisan Legislation to Address Veterans’ Burn Pits Exposure
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH) has cosponsored the Veterans Burn Pits Exposure Recognition Act, bipartisan legislation introduced by Senators Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Dan Sullivan (R-AK), to formally recognize that certain veterans were exposed to burn pits during their service, making it easier for them to access U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health care and benefits for illnesses and diseases related to exposure to burn pits.
… Continue ReadingMay 18, 2020
As NH Hospitals & Health Care Providers Face Financial Strain, Senator Hassan & Bipartisan Colleagues Call for Expedited Claims Processing and Reimbursements
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Rob Portman (R-OH), Tom Carper (D-DE), and Bob Menendez (D-NJ) are urging health insurers to expedite claims processing to reimburse hospitals and other health care providers for services rendered as quickly as possible. Due to the influx of COVID-19 patients, combined with a reduction in routine services and procedures, a number of hospitals are struggling with limited cash flow. And while hospitals may be able to manage delays on claims and reimbursements on an average day, hospitals are feeling financial strain more acutely during this crisis, and it will have long-lasting impacts.
… Continue ReadingMay 17, 2020
Senators Hassan, Shaheen Call for More Funding to Support Small Businesses Through Community Development Financial Institutions
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) sent a bipartisan letter to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) calling for $1 billion for the Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) Fund as part of the next COVID-19 funding package.
… Continue ReadingMay 15, 2020
Senate Passes Bipartisan Bill Backed by Senators Hassan, Shaheen to Help Families of First Responders Lost to COVID-19
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Senate unanimously passed bipartisan legislation cosponsored by Senators Maggie Hassan and Jeanne Shaheen ensuring that if a law enforcement officer or first responder loses their life or is permanently disabled due to COVID-19, it is treated as a line-of-duty incident so that their families receive the full benefits that they deserve.
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May 15, 2020
Senators Hassan, Colleagues Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Aid Victims of Identity Theft
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH) joined Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) and a bipartisan group of their colleagues to introduce the Improving Social Security’s Service to Victims of Identity Theft Act to provide more efficient help to Americans whose social security numbers have been misused following an identity theft.
… Continue ReadingMay 15, 2020
Senators Hassan, Kaine Call for Release of Full CDC Reopening Guidelines
WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senators Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and Tim Kaine (D-VA) - both members of the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee - are calling on the White House Coronavirus Task Force to work with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to release full reopening guidelines. The Senators' letter to Vice President Mike Pence comes after reports that the White House shelved detailed reopening guidelines. The White House instead released an abbreviated document th… Continue Reading
May 15, 2020
Senator Hassan Discusses COVID-19 Response Efforts with New Hampshire Mayors
WASHINGTON – Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH) today heard from mayors across New Hampshire about their priorities for future COVID-19 relief efforts and shared updates on what she is working on in Congress to get local governments the resources that they need to address public health and economic challenges.
… Continue ReadingMay 14, 2020
Hassan, Ernst Lead Bipartisan Effort to Support Disability Service Providers Amid COVID-19 Pandemic
WASHINGTON-U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA) are working to provide financial relief to Medicaid providers who support and care for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. In a bipartisan letter to the Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the senators are requesting relief for Medicaid Home and Community Based Services and Intermediate Care Facilities for Individuals with Intellectual Disabi… Continue Reading
May 14, 2020
Senators Hassan, Shaheen Urge HHS to Protect Consumers and Prevent Hospitals from Going After Patients’ Wages to Collect Medical Debts
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) joined colleagues in urging the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to prevent hospitals from collecting medical debt by taking part of a patient's paycheck-known as wage garnishment-during the COVID-19 pandemic, and to deny emergency relief funds to hospitals engaging in this practice. "We write to express serious concerns with ongoing instances of wage garnishment by hospitals in aggressive pursuit of med… Continue Reading
May 14, 2020
Senate Clears Bipartisan Bill Cosponsored by Shaheen & Hassan to Establish Three-Digit National Suicide Hotline
(Washington, D.C.) – Yesterday, the Senate unanimously passed legislation cosponsored by U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) that would establish a three-digit national suicide prevention and mental health crisis hotline.
… Continue ReadingMay 13, 2020
Shaheen & Hassan File Supreme Court Amicus Brief Defending ACA from Trump Admin’s Efforts to Strike Down Law Amid COVID-19
(Washington, DC) – Today, U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) joined the entire Senate Democratic caucus in filing an amicus brief defending the Affordable Care Act in the case of California v. Texas (formerly Texas v. Azar). The case, brought by several Republican attorneys general and supported by the Trump administration, is currently pending before the U.S. Supreme Court and could result in as many as 133 million Americans losing pre-existing condition protections, soaring prescription drug costs for seniors, and as many as 118,000 Granite Staters losing health care coverage, as New Hampshire and the United States continue to confront the COVID-19 pandemic If the Court strikes down the Affordable Care Act in its entirety, the law’s Medicaid expansion would be invalidated and New Hampshire would lose one of its best tools in combatting the substance use disorder epidemic.
… Continue ReadingMay 13, 2020
Capito, Hassan Co-Sponsor Legislation to Help Families of First Responders Lost to COVID-19
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) and Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.) yesterday co-sponsored the Safeguarding America’s First Responders Act (SAFR), legislation that clarifies the certification requirements for survivor benefits under the Public Safety Officers Benefits Program to account for the unique challenges presented by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
… Continue ReadingMay 13, 2020
Following Calls from Senator Hassan and Colleagues, New National Housing Assistance Website Now Available to Help Renters, Homeowners Amid COVID-19 Pandemic
WASHINGTON – Following calls from Senator Hassan and her colleagues, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) partnered together to launch a new website to help renters and homeowners learn more about all the resources and assistance available to them during the COVID-19 pandemic. The website details new housing-related policies, benefits, and protections established under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. On April 1, Senator Hassan joined a group of her colleagues, led by Senator Brian Schatz (D-HI), in calling on the relevant government agencies to collaborate and create this new website.
… Continue Reading