Shaheen Introduces Amendments to Improve Republican Budget Reconciliation Bill, Keep Costs from Skyrocketing
**Congressional Republicans’ budget reconciliation bill would slash Medicaid and food assistance benefits for tens of thousands of Granite Staters**
(Washington, DC) – U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), a top member of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee, is offering multiple amendments to the Congressional Republican’s budget reconciliation bill that would keep health insurance and energy costs from skyrocketing, help more working families cover a greater share of the high cost of child care, make life-saving insulin more affordable for Granite Staters and more. In a Senate floor speech last night, Shaheen condemned the “Big Beautiful Bill” for ripping away health care and food assistance from millions of Americans, raising household energy costs, adding to the national debt and more in order to cut taxes for billionaires – labeling it the largest transfer of wealth from the poor to the rich in a single bill in history.
“While my Republican colleagues jam through a disastrous budget bill that punishes working families in order to make life easier for billionaires, I’m offering multiple amendments that would help lower costs and address real challenges for Granite Staters,” said Senator Shaheen. “At a time when families are getting squeezed by the high cost of living, we should be doing all we can to help them get ahead – this bill would do the exact opposite.”
Below is an overview of the amendments Senator Shaheen is introducing to lessen the harmful impacts of the Republican-led budget reconciliation bill:
- To improve access to affordable insulin, Shaheen is introducing an amendment to cap the cost of the life-saving medicine at $35 a month, among other provisions to permanently lower the cost of insulin.
- To help more working families cover a greater share of the high cost of child care, Shaheen is co-leading an amendment to expand the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit.
- To make housing more affordable, lower household energy costs and protect good American jobs, Shaheen is introducing an amendment to reverse Republicans’ repeal of tax credits for energy saving home improvements and new home construction.
- To address ongoing workforce challenges at New Hampshire’s FCI Berlin, Shaheen is introducing an amendment to require the Bureau of Prisons to allocate a portion of its funding to restore critical retention incentives that Shaheen previously helped secure and were cut by the Trump Administration.
- To support workers at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, Shaheen is introducing an amendment to require that Armed Services funding not be used to reduce the civilian shipyard workforce.
- To fund repairs at the Newcastle Coast Guard Station damaged in January 2024, Shaheen is introducing an amendment to prioritize Coast Guard funding for facilities in need of repair.
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