Senator Hassan Helps Secure Key NH Priorities in Senate-Passed Government Funding Bill
WASHINGTON – Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH) helped secure key New Hampshire priorities in the Senate-passed legislation providing government funding for the Departments of Agriculture, Veterans Affairs, Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development.
“I am glad we came together on a bipartisan basis in the Senate to pass a government funding bill that includes a number of key priorities that will support veterans, lower costs, and help keep our country safe, secure, and free,” said Senator Hassan. “This bipartisan bill includes support for the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, funding to expand access to child care for military families, and efforts to update costly, legacy IT systems. I will continue working across the aisle to address the urgent priorities that our state and country are facing.”
The combined funding bill includes a number of provisions that Senator Hassan advocated for and supported, including:
- Significant funding for dry dock construction at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard
- A bipartisan amendment cosponsored by Senator Hassan to research toxic exposure of veterans who served in Kosovo
- Funding to support the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), as well as the European Deterrence Initiative and the Pacific Defense Initiative, to help continue standing up to Putin and protecting our national security
- Funding to expand access to child care for military families and support for the VA’s caregiver program, which Senator Hassan has worked to protect
- Increased funding for veterans’ mental health, as well as funding to help the VA respond to the opioid epidemic, including increasing access to lifesaving medication like naloxone
- Directing the VA to take additional action to protect military fire fighters exposed to PFAS, including creating a registry of veterans exposed to PFAS as a part of fire fighting chemicals
- Additional funding to support veterans – including for homeless veterans and veterans in rural communities – as well as for medical and prosthetic research programs and VA mammography services
- Increased funding to update legacy IT at the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Department of Agriculture, and the Federal Aviation Administration – helping to improve government services, increase cybersecurity, and save taxpayer dollars
- Increased funding for Inspectors General at the Departments of Veterans Affairs, Housing and Urban Development, and Transportation, as well as the National Railroad Passenger Corporation, to help root out waste, fraud, and abuse at these agencies
- Increased funding for Amtrak routes, including lines that serve New Hampshire, thanks to the bipartisan infrastructure law that Senator Hassan helped negotiate and pass into law
- Provisions to increase access to housing, including additional funding for the Rental Assistance Program, Community Development Block Grant, and the HOME Investment Partnership Program, which helps with the construction of new housing
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