Shaheen, Hassan Fight to Secure Child Care Relief in Next Senate COVID-19 Stimulus Package

(Washington, DC) –  This week, U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) joined U.S. Senators Tina Smith (D-MN) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and a group of Senators in calling on Senate leadership to prioritize the inclusion of their plan for a $50 billion child care stabilization fund in the next coronavirus (COVID-19) relief package. The Child Care is Essential Act would stabilize the child care system, keep providers in business and ensure parents are able to go back to work when it is safe to return. It was recently passed in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Senate Clears Shaheen & Hassan-Cosponsored Veterans Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Legislation

(Washington, DC) –The U.S. Senate unanimously passed the Commander John Scott Hannon Veterans Mental Health Care Improvement Act – bipartisan legislation cosponsored by U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) – to improve veterans’ access to mental health care. This landmark legislation is a comprehensive and aggressive approach to connect more veterans with mental health care. This bill will bolster the VA’s mental health workforce and increase rural or hard-to-reach veterans’ access to VA care, while making sure veterans have access to alternative and local treatment options. The legislation was introduced by U.S. Senators Jerry Moran (R-KS) and Jon Tester (D-MT).

Senator Hassan Questions Acting DHS Secretary on the Response to Protests in Portland

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan today questioned Chad Wolf, Acting Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), during an oversight hearing on the federal government’s response to protests in Portland, Oregon.

Senators Hassan, Cassidy Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Improve Electronic Health Record Systems, Strengthen COVID-19 Response

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and Bill Cassidy, MD (R-LA) introduced bipartisan legislation to improve patient record matching among health care providers and strengthen the country’s COVID-19 response efforts. The bipartisan Patient Matching Improvement Act works to address inadequate patient matching – the ability to link records for an individual patient across multiple health care providers – which can pose dangers to patients and complicates contact tracing efforts.

NH Delegation Statement on President’s Approval of Guard Activation Extension at Only 75% Federal Reimbursement

(Washington, DC)— U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), a senior member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and Representatives Annie Kuster (NH-02) and Chris Pappas (NH-01) issued the following joint statement after President Trump authorized an extension of the New Hampshire National Guard’s activation through December 31st to help respond to COVID-19 but with reduced federal funding support. Starting August 21st, New Hampshire will be reimbursed 75 percent for the Guard’s activation rather than the current reimbursement of 100 percent. Only Texas and Florida’s Guard activation will be supported entirely by federal funding. The New Hampshire Congressional Delegation has repeatedly called for the Guard’s activation to be fully funded federally.

Senator Hassan On the Senate Floor Pushes for Significant Additional Support for Schools in Next COVID-19 Relief Package

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan took to the Senate floor today to push for significant additional funding for schools in the next COVID-19 relief package as teachers, parents, and students prepare for the upcoming school year. The Senator also discussed the importance of additional funding to expand broadband access in order to support the remote learning needs of students and teachers.

Young, Hassan Introduce AT HOME Act to Help Offset Remote Work Expenses

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senators Todd Young (R-Ind.) and Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.) introduced the Advancing Teachers and Home Office Modernization for Employees (AT HOME) Act to help alleviate some of the costs Americans have incurred as they work from home due to the coronavirus. The bill would establish a tax credit for small businesses and an above-the-line deduction for individuals to help offset the cost of investments in remote work equipment, software, and network services necessary for Americans to work safely from home for the remainder of 2020. Teachers can utilize this new above-the-line deduction for the additional costs incurred setting up a remote classroom, on top of the $250 deduction already provided in the tax code.

President Signs Into Law Bill Cosponsored By Shaheen & Hassan to Permanently Fund LWCF, Address Maintenance Backlog on NH Public Lands

(Washington, DC)— Today, President Trump signed into law the Great American Outdoors Act, bipartisan legislation cosponsored by U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) to permanently fund the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) and provide mandatory funding for deferred maintenance on public lands. The LWCF helps preserve and maintain critical lands for national parks, forests, wildlife refuges and recreational areas in New Hampshire and across the country. 

Senator Hassan Takes to Senate Floor to Call for More Funding to Support State & Local Governments’ Efforts to Save Lives, Protect Economy

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan took to the Senate floor today to underscore the importance of providing significant and flexible funding to support state and local governments’ efforts to save lives and protect the economy in the next COVID-19 relief package. In her speech, the Senator outlined how this additional funding will be crucial in order to preserve jobs and ensure that communities can continue to meet the public health and economic needs of their residents.

Senator Hassan Leads NH Delegation in Calling for Additional & Flexible Broadband Support in Upcoming COVID-19 Relief Package

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Maggie Hassan and Jeanne Shaheen and Representatives Annie Kuster and Chris Pappas are calling for additional funding and flexibility for states to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, in particular to help states use the funding to build out additional broadband infrastructure to support telehealth, remote learning, and working from home.

Senators Hassan, Braun, Murkowski Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Help Ensure Safety and Efficacy of Potential COVID-19 Vaccine

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Mike Braun (R-IN), and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) introduced bipartisan legislation to maintain critical safeguards to help assure the public that a potential COVID-19 vaccine that receives emergency use authorization is safe and effective. The Safe Authorization for Vaccines during Emergencies (SAVE) Act also aims to improve public confidence in a potential COVID-19 vaccine by increasing the transparency of the vaccine approval process.

Senators Hassan, Young Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Encourage Educational & Training Opportunities for Workers Amid COVID-19 Pandemic

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and Todd Young (R-IN) introduced bipartisan legislation that would expand educational assistance programs to help ensure that employers have the tools to hire and retrain workers who may have lost their jobs due to COVID-19. The bipartisan Upskilling and Retraining Assistance Act would increase the amount of tax-free educational assistance that employees in workforce development programs can receive from their employers, and would modernize the program to cover expenses for tools and technology that are required for educational programs.

Following Health Inequities Roundtable, Senator Hassan Pushes for Provisions to Address Racial Disparities in Health Outcomes in Next COVID-19 Relief Package

WASHINGTON – U.S Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH) today urged Congressional leadership to address the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on communities of color in the next COVID-19 response package. The Senator’s outreach follows a discussion she held recently with a group of predominately Black and Latina public health leaders in New Hampshire about racial disparities in health care outcomes. 

Senator Hassan Receives Briefing on NH National Guard’s Annual Cybersecurity Exercise

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan met virtually with New Hampshire Army National Guard Lieutenant Colonel Woody Groton, who helped organize the annual Cyber Yankee cybersecurity training exercise that concluded on Friday.

Senators Hassan, Coons Urge President Trump to Drop Plan to Reduce Level of U.S. Troops in South Korea

WASHINGTON – Senators Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and Chris Coons (D-DE) today wrote a letter to President Trump, urging him to drop plans to reduce the level of U.S. troops based in South Korea, following reports that the administration is considering a potential withdrawal. The Senators raised concerns that any large scale troop reduction would harm American security, while strengthening the interests of North Korea, China, and Russia.

Senator Hassan Leads NH Congressional Delegation in Calling on FCC to Help Preserve Iconic 603 Area Code

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Maggie Hassan and Jeanne Shaheen and Representatives Annie Kuster and Chris Pappas called on the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to take action to help prevent the depletion of New Hampshire’s iconic 603 area code.

Shaheen, Hassan Urge Inclusion of Home and Community-Based Services Funding for Seniors and People with Disabilities in Future COVID-19 Legislation

(Washington, DC) – With seniors and people with disabilities accounting for a disproportionate percentage of all COVID-19 deaths, U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) sent a letter with a group of Senators urging Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) to include key provisions related to Medicaid home and community-based services (HCBS) in any future COVID-19 relief package. The Senators emphasize the need for expanded access to HCBS as a necessary tool in keeping safe those who are most at-risk for contracting the virus.

Senator Hassan Statement on GDP Numbers that Show U.S. Economy Shrinking at Historic Rate

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan released a statement following newly released economic estimates showing that U.S. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) shrank at an annualized rate of 32.9 percent last quarter, marking the worst quarterly decline in modern U.S. history. The Department of Labor also announced this morning that 1.43 million workers filed new unemployment claims last week. 

Senator Hassan Statement on President Trump Suggesting Election Delay

WASHINGTON – In response to President Trump’s tweet this morning suggesting a delay of the 2020 elections, U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH) issued the following statement:

Senator Hassan Joins Bipartisan Colleagues in Introducing Bill to Reinforce U.S. Supply Chain Against Future Threats

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan joined Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.), Marco Rubio (R-Fl.), and Bill Cassidy, MD (R-LA) and U.S. Representatives Haley Stevens (D-Mich.) and Troy Balderson (R-Ohio) in introducing the Resilient Manufacturing Task Force Act of 2020, a bipartisan, bicameral bill to help build a stronger, more resilient post-COVID economy.