Senators Hassan, Shaheen Join Colleagues in Calling on Secretary DeVos to Fix Missteps with Implementation of Temporary Expanded Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program

WASHINGTON – Last week, Senator Maggie Hassan, a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, and Senator Jeanne Shaheen joined a group of their colleagues in calling on Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos to correct the Department’s missteps in implementing the Temporary Expanded Public Service Loan Forgiveness (TEPSLF) program. In the letter, the Senators call on Secretary DeVos to implement a comprehensive strategy to increase the approval rates for loan relief through the program.

In China, Senators Hassan and Coons Meet with Government Officials to Discuss How to Strengthen Efforts to Combat Fentanyl Trafficking that Contributes to Opioid Crisis in the U.S.

BEIJING, CHINA – Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH), a member of the Senate Homeland Security and Finance Committees, and Senator Chris Coons (D-DE), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Thursday met with the Vice Chairman of China’s National Narcotics Control Commission, Liu Yuejin. The Senators stressed the importance of strengthening efforts to combat fentanyl trafficking from China that contributes to the devastating opioid crisis in the United States. China’s National Narcotics Control Commission is similar to the Drug Enforcement Administration in the United States.

Senator Hassan Statement on Reports that EPA Will Weaken Standards for Cleaning Up PFAS Contamination

BEIJING, CHINA – Senator Maggie Hassan released the following statement today in response to reports that that the Department of Defense (DOD) successfully pressured the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to weaken its standards for cleaning up per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) contamination in groundwater:

Shaheen, Hassan Join Bipartisan Group On Legislation to Eliminate the Military “Widow’s Tax”

(Washington, DC) – U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) joined a bipartisan group of Senators led by Doug Jones (D-AL), Susan Collins (R-ME), Jon Tester (D-MT) and Mike Crapo (R-ID) in support of the Military Widow’s Tax Elimination Act of 2019. The bipartisan bill would end the so-called “Widow’s Tax” by repealing the unfair law that prevents as many as 65,000 surviving military spouses nationwide from receiving their full Department of Defense (DOD) and Veterans Affairs (VA) survivor benefits. Currently, military widows and widowers who qualify for the VA’s Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) are forced to take prorated annuities from the Survivors Benefits Plan (SBP), even though they elected to pay into the program.

Senators Hassan, Coons Reaffirm Importance of U.S-South Korea Alliance, Achieving Denuclearization

SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA – Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH) a member of the Senate Homeland Security and Finance Committees, and Senator Chris Coons (D-DE), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, were in Seoul, where they met with senior officials to reaffirm the U.S.-South Korea alliance and discuss ways to advance shared interests and values, including verifiable denuclearization of the peninsula.

Senator Hassan Statement on Federal Court Ruling to Temporarily Block Trump Administration’s Domestic Gag Rule

SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA – Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH) today released the following statement after the United States District Court for the District of Oregon issued a preliminary injunction to block the Trump Administration’s domestic gag rule. If imposed, the domestic gag rule would undermine women’s access to critical health services at Title X family planning programs such as Planned Parenthood.

Senators Hassan, Coons Reinforce Importance of U.S.-Japan Alliance in Tokyo

TOKYO – Earlier this week, Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH), a member of the Senate Homeland Security and Finance Committees, and Senator Chris Coons (D-DE), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, were in Tokyo, where they met with senior officials to reinforce the importance of the U.S.-Japan alliance and discuss ways to advanced shared interests and values.

Senators Hassan, Shaheen Cosponsor Bipartisan TRACED Act to Crack Down on Illegal Robocall Scams

WASHINGTON – Senators Maggie Hassan and Jeanne Shaheen recently cosponsored bipartisan legislation to address the increasing number of robocall scams targeting Granite Staters and Americans.  The Telephone Robocall Abuse Criminal Enforcement and Deterrence (TRACED) Act gives regulators more time to find scammers, increases civil forfeiture penalties on those caught, promotes call authentication and blocking adoption, and brings relevant federal agencies and state attorneys general together to evaluate policies and resources needed to better prosecute and deter illegal robocalls.

Senator Hassan Statement on Release of Special Counsel Mueller’s Report

WASHINGTON – Senator Maggie Hassan issued the following statement today following the release of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s redacted report:

Senators Hassan, Shaheen Join in Introducing Legislation to Overhaul Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program, Ensure Millions Of Americans Will Now Be Eligible For The Loan Forgiveness They Have Earned

WASHINGTON – Senator Maggie Hassan, a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, and Senator Jeanne Shaheen recently joined thirteen of their colleagues in introducing legislation to overhaul the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program. The What You Can Do for Your Country Act of 2019 would ensure that millions of teachers, social workers, members of the military, first responders, nurses, public defenders, and other public service professionals will qualify for the loan forgiveness they have earned.

Shaheen & Hassan Introduce Legislation to Crack Down on “Dark Money” in Elections

(Washington, DC) – U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) recently reintroduced the DISCLOSE Act with Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), legislation that would require organizations spending money in federal elections to disclose their donors and help guard against hidden foreign influence in our democracy.

At Franklin Police Department, Senator Hassan Hears About Impact of Opioid Crisis on First Responders, Discusses Efforts to Support First Responders on Front Lines

FRANKLIN – Senator Maggie Hassan today met with first responders and city leaders at the Franklin Police Department, where she heard about the impact of traumatic stress from the opioid crisis on first responders and how she can continue to support their efforts on the front lines of this crisis. Senator Hassan was joined by Franklin Police Chief David Goldstein, Police Lieutenant Stephanie Clough, Franklin Fire Chief Michael Foss, Fire Captain Bruce Goldthwaite, and City Manager Judie Milner. The Senator was also joined by Eric Golnick and John Mulet of Veteran and First Responder (VFR) Healthcare.

Senators Hassan and Warren Lead Colleagues in Requesting Increased Funding in FY2020 Budget for Title X Program

WASHINGTON – Senators Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), both members of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, led a group of 40 of their Democratic colleagues in calling on the Senate Appropriations Committee to request that the FY 2020 budget include $400 million for the Title X family planning program.

Shaheen, Hassan Call for Full Funding of the Firefighter Cancer Registry

(Washington, DC) – U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) joined a group of Senators led by Bob Menendez (D-NJ) and Deb Fischer (R-NE) today in requesting $2.5 million to fully fund the Firefighter Cancer Registry, which collects and monitors the prevalence, incidence and types of cancers among firefighters so that doctors and researchers can better understand the relationship between firefighting and the increased risk for the deadly disease. Legislation creating the national registry, which is managed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), was passed and signed into law last summer.

At Southern New Hampshire University, Senator Hassan Discusses Growing Threats to America’s Homeland & Bipartisan Strategies to Keep Granite Staters and Americans Safe and Secure

HOOKSETT – Senator Maggie Hassan, a member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, today delivered remarks at Southern New Hampshire University, where she discussed the growing threats to America’s homeland and the bipartisan strategies needed to confront them in order to keep Granite Staters and Americans safe and secure.

Shaheen, Hassan Announce New Hampshire Military Service Academy Day

(Washington, DC) - U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) invite New Hampshire students interested in attending any of the country’s military service academies to attend the New Hampshire Military Service Academy Day on Saturday, May 11th in Pembroke at the New Hampshire National Guard Edward Cross Training Complex.

Shaheen, Hassan Announce $4.7 Million in AmeriCorps Funding for New Hampshire Programs

(Washington, DC) – U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) announced today that New Hampshire has received $4,767,926 in AmeriCorps funding from the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), the federal agency that administers AmeriCorps and other national service programs. The funding from CNCS will support 232 AmeriCorps members in New Hampshire. The funding is an increase of more than $600,000 from last year’s funding level.

JOINT STATEMENT: Following Weeks of Advocacy on Behalf of Shipyard, New Hampshire & Maine Senators Encouraged by New Secretary of Defense Memo Indicating Critical National Security Projects at PNSY May Not Be Impacted by Emergency Declaration

(Washington, DC) – U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Susan Collins (R-ME), Angus King (I-ME) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) issued a joint statement in response to a new memo from Acting Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan that directs military construction projects with fiscal year (FY) 2019 award dates be exempt from having their funding diverted to pay for a border wall due to President Trump’s emergency declaration. This specific criteria means that the four current projects at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard (PNSY) with FY 2019 award dates – which had funding specifically appropriated by Congress and signed into law – should not lose funding. In March, the Department of Defense (DOD) provided a list of military construction projects that included the PNSY priorities, which were under threat of losing funding as a result of the emergency declaration. The list came in response to questioning from Senators on the Senate Armed Services Committee, including Senator Shaheen.

Senator Hassan Discusses Bipartisan Gateway to Careers Act at Manchester Community College

MANCHESTER – Senator Maggie Hassan today visited Manchester Community College, where she heard about the partnership Manchester Community College has formed with Catholic Medical Center to fill critical medical assistant roles. The Senator met with students in the medical assistant apprenticeship program, leaders from Manchester Community College and Community College System of New Hampshire, and staff from Catholic Medical Center. During the visit, Senator Hassan discussed the bipartisan Gateway to Careers Act, which she reintroduced this week to support and expand upon such partnerships to bolster economic opportunity and help ensure that innovative businesses have the highly skilled workforce they need.

Senator Hassan Joins in Introducing Resolution on Financial Literacy Month

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Tim Scott (R-SC), Jack Reed (D-RI), and Doug Jones (D-AL), co-chairs of the financial literacy caucus, introduced a resolution declaring April as Financial Literacy Month in effort to highlight the importance of learning and maintaining healthy financial habits. According to a 2017 report by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), approximately 25 percent of households in the United States are unbanked or underbanked and have limited or no access to savings, lending, and other basic financial services. Financial literacy empowers individuals to make wise financial decisions and reduces the difficulty of making decisions in an increasingly complex economy.