Press
Shaheen’s Legislation to Spur Accountability at the VA Passes Senate as Part of Funding Bill
(Washington, DC) - Today, the United States Senate passed an amendment authored by U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) that requires random, outside auditing of VA medical facilities by the Government Accountability Office (GAO). The amendment is included in legislation to fund the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). "This is about changing the culture at the VA," said Shaheen. "Veterans should be receiving quality, timely care from the VA. My amendment will shed a light on troubling mism… Continue Reading
November 10, 2015
Shaheen Priorities in Defense Bill Head to the President’s Desk for Signature
(Washington, DC) - Following today's Senate passage of the Fiscal Year 2016 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that had previously passed the House, Senator Shaheen announced her priorities that were included in the bill. Among them are provisions to fund the development of the KC-46A scheduled to be based at Pease Air National Guard Base as well as funding the infrastructure necessary to support the tanker's mission. The bill does not include a new round of Base Realignment and Closing (… Continue Reading
November 09, 2015
Shaheen Presents Service Medals to New Hampshire Veterans
(Manchester, NH) - Today in her Manchester office, U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) presented military awards to three New Hampshire veterans: Mr. Norman Morin (posthumous), Mr. Ray Vercoe and Mr. Mark McLynch in recognition of their service in World War II, Vietnam and Afghanistan respectively. Senator Shaheen and her staff worked with these veterans, their families, and various branches of the military to help secure the recognitions that were awarded today. "These Granite State veterans br… Continue Reading
November 06, 2015
Shaheen Statement on Keystone XL Pipeline Decision
(Washington, DC) U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) released the following statement after the announcement by the Obama Administration that it has rejected TransCanada's Presidential Permit application for the Keystone XL Pipeline. "Major energy infrastructure projects deserve the comprehensive environmental and safety review process that the Keystone XL pipeline has received. I voted to reject attempts in the Senate to bypass this important review and force immediate approval of this project … Continue Reading
November 06, 2015
Shaheen is Briefed at State Police Forensic Lab in Concord on Backlog of Heroin and Fentanyl Cases
(November 6, 2015 - Senator Shaheen meets with NH State Police Forensic Lab employees in Concord) A high resolution version of this photo is available here. (Concord, NH) At the New Hampshire State Police Forensic Lab this morning, U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) discussed the backlog of seized heroin and fentanyl samples that require lab identification. The lab's director, Timothy Pifer, led a tour of the lab in which Senator Shaheen spoke with lab employees and Colonel Robert Quinn. Earli… Continue Reading
November 06, 2015
Shaheen, Flake Introduce Crop Insurance Reform Bill with $24 Billion in Savings
Washington, D.C.-U.S. Sens. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) and Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) yesterday introduced S. 2244, the Assisting Family Farmers through Insurance Reform Measures (AFFIRM) Act, a bipartisan bill that would reform the current crop insurance system to save taxpayers about $24.4 billion over the next 10 years. A companion bill was also introduced in the House of Representatives by Reps. Ron Kind (D-Wis.) and Jim Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.). "The costs of this program are skyrocketing unnecessar… Continue Reading
November 05, 2015
Shaheen Decries Obstruction of Bills to Provide Affordable Credit to Small Businesses
(Washington, DC) - This afternoon, U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) took to the Senate floor to call for passage of her bipartisan legislation that would revive a successful federal program that provides small businesses access to affordable credit. Her request was denied by one senator, and as a result, under Senate rules, passage of the Commercial Real Estate and Economic Development (CREED) Act was prevented. Senator Shaheen is the top Democrat on the Senate Small Business Committee and has… Continue Reading
November 04, 2015
Shaheen Hosts President of Medical Staff at Lakes Region General Hospital on Capitol Hill to Discuss Heroin Epidemic
(November 4, 2015 - Washington, DC - Dr. Paul Racicot and U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen) (Washington, DC) - U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) today hosted Dr. Paul Racicot, President of Medical Staff at Lakes Region General Hospital, for a roundtable discussion on Capitol Hill on how to address the heroin and opioid drug abuse epidemic in New Hampshire and around the country. In addition to his thirty years of experience practicing emergency medicine in the Lakes Region, Dr. Racicot has run a… Continue Reading
November 04, 2015
Shaheen, Blumenthal Push for VA Secretary to Acknowledge Inadequate Research Following NPR’s Publication of Mustard Gas Exposure Database
(Washington, DC) - U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) wrote a letter to U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) Robert McDonald today to ask the VA to use a new public database compiled by National Public Radio (NPR) to help identify veterans subjected to mustard gas experimentation by the U.S. military during World War II. The database, published yesterday and compiled by NPR staff over the course of six months, includes more than 3,900 veterans who were exposed t… Continue Reading
November 03, 2015
With Budget Agreement in Place, Shaheen Calls for More Resources to Fight Heroin and Opioid Abuse Epidemic
(Washington, DC) - This evening, U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) sent a letter to the committee tasked with writing legislation to fund the federal government, calling for more resources to address the heroin and opioid abuse epidemic. Her letter comes the day after the President signed a bipartisan budget agreement into law which allows for additional investments in domestic federal programs. This budget agreement now provides an opportunity for Congress to begin working on annual appropriat… Continue Reading
November 03, 2015
Shaheen to Senate Leadership: Don't Roll Back Crop Insurance Savings in Omnibus
(Washington, DC)-Today, Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) wrote to Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) to request that the new budget agreement's reforms to the federal crop insurance program not be undone in year-end legislation to fund the government. Senator Shaheen is a leading voice in the Senate in calling for changes to the crop insurance program, which cost taxpayers almost $9 billion last year. The budget deal included modest reforms that would save… Continue Reading
November 03, 2015
Following Reports of Continued Mismanagement at VA hospitals, Shaheen Reintroduces Legislation to Spur Accountability
(Washington, DC) - Today, U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) reintroduced legislation in the Senate that would mandate random, outside auditing of Veterans Administration (VA) medical facilities by the Government Accountability Office (GAO). This follows recent reports that, despite reform efforts, certain VA medical facilities are still engaging in mismanagement that is delaying care and endangering the lives of veterans. "This legislation is about changing the culture at the VA," said Shahe… Continue Reading
November 02, 2015
As National Veterans Small Business Week Begins, Shaheen Visits SilverCloud in Portsmouth to Highlight Importance of Veteran Entrepreneurs to New Hampshire’s Economy
(November 2, 2015- Senator Shaheen visiting SilverCloud in Portsmouth, NH) High resolution versions of the photos are available here and here (Washington, DC)-To kick-off National Veterans Small Business Week, Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) visited SilverCloud, a veteran-owned business in downtown Portsmouth that develops customer service software products for the financial industry. She had an opportunity to tour their offices, meet with employees and discuss how a federal small business le… Continue Reading
October 30, 2015
Shaheen Announces Legislation to Address Heroin & Fentanyl Backlog at Police Forensic Labs
(Washington, DC) - Today, Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) announced plans to introduce legislation to help the state police forensic lab in New Hampshire and other labs across the country that are dealing with a dramatic increase in the number of drug seizures requiring lab identification. The recent surge in the use of heroin, fentanyl and other "designer" drugs, have increased both the volume and complexity of identifying narcotics, which has dramatically increased demand on police crime labs, i… Continue Reading
October 30, 2015
Shaheen Welcomes Resolution Reached Between Londonderry School District & USDA on Lunch Program
(Washington, DC) - Today, Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) welcomed the announcement that the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) will not apply new unnecessary regulations to the lunch programs run by the Londonderry School District. The school district objected to the way the USDA said it was going to classify their High School after it withdrew from the federal school lunch program. "I'm very pleased that this new agreement allows the Londonderry School District to continue providing… Continue Reading
October 30, 2015
Shaheen Statement After Senate Passage of Two-Year Bipartisan Budget Agreement
(Washington, DC) - Early this morning, the U.S. Senate approved a bipartisan budget agreement that sets government funding levels for two years and extends the nation's borrowing limit through 2017. U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) released the following statement after voting in favor of the legislation. "This budget agreement is a balanced approach that removes a dangerous threat to our nation's full faith and credit," said Shaheen. "It also provides much needed relief to across-the-board b… Continue Reading
October 29, 2015
Shaheen Writes to Chief of Forest Service Urging Restoration of Funds for Milan Community Forest
(Washington, DC) - U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) today wrote to United States Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell to ask that his agency reinstate funds for the Milan Community Forest Project (CFP) in Milan, New Hampshire. The project's $400,000 grant to create a new community forest was rescinded by the agency to pay for wildfire suppression. As a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Shaheen worked to include $700 million in the Forest Service budget to replenish the agency's accou… Continue Reading
October 29, 2015
Shaheen, Gardner Lead Effort to Require Federal Government to Measure Impact of Outdoor Recreation on U.S. Economy
(Washington, DC) - Today, U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Cory Gardner (R-CO) introduced the Outdoor REC (Recreation's Economic Contributions) Act, bipartisan legislation that would inform policy makers and business leaders on the jobs created, and the consumer spending driven by, the outdoor recreation economy. Currently, the federal government, through research conducted at the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA), doesn't measure the economic impact of outdoor recreation, despite indepen… Continue Reading
October 27, 2015
Shaheen Applauds House Passage of Export-Import Bank Reauthorization, Urges Similar Vote in Senate
(Washington, DC) - U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) welcomed this evening's bipartisan vote in the House or Representatives to reauthorize the Export-Import Bank and is urging Republican leadership to allow a similar vote in the Senate. The Export-Import Bank, which provides loans to U.S. exporters, expired on June 30th of this year. "Despite a proven track record of boosting trade and creating jobs across our economy, it's now been 118 days since the Export-Import bank lost its authorization… Continue Reading
October 27, 2015
Shaheen Legislation Passes the Senate to Help Small Businesses Protect Themselves Against Cyber Attacks
(Washington, DC) - This evening, the Senate approved legislation that contains key language included by U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen's (D-NH), the lead Democrat on the Senate Small Business Committee, to improve the way the federal government works with small businesses to prevent cyber-attacks. "Cyber-attacks pose a threat to businesses large and small," said Shaheen. "Unfortunately, many small businesses in New Hampshire and across the country lack the information and resources they need to pr… Continue Reading
