Dear Friend,

Are You Covered for 2020?

Open enrollment for the health care exchange begins today! Granite Staters have until December 15 to visit healthcare.gov to sign up for coverage, make changes to your existing plan, or to find more information. If you don’t get insurance through your employer, Medicare, or Medicaid, I encourage you to shop the plans to make sure that you and your family are enrolled in the plan that best suits your needs.

Working Towards a 100% Clean Economy

This week, the Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Energy held a hearing on clean energy. It was an important opportunity to hear from experts and explore ways to build a 100% clean economy.

From Rep. Kuster's seat on the Energy Subcommittee

Making Prescriptions More Affordable for Seniors

I continue to hear from Granite State seniors who are struggling to afford their medications. On Wednesday, I was proud to join Congressman David McKinley of West Virginia to introduce the Ensuring Access to Lower-Cost Medicines for Seniors Act – bipartisan legislation which would help reduce the out-of-pocket cost of some generic medications for Americans on Medicare. Patients should be able to get the medications they need without the hardship of being forced to choose between their prescriptions and other essentials like groceries or rent. This is a commonsense piece of legislation and I hope my colleagues will join me to support it. 

The Ongoing Impeachment Inquiry

It was a somber day in the House yesterday as Congress entered the next phase of the ongoing impeachment inquiry. Yesterday’s vote ensures the American people will hear directly from witnesses in open hearings about President Trump’s conduct. While I have not prejudged the outcome, I remain deeply concerned that the President endangered our national security and betrayed his oath to our Constitution when he withheld critical military assistance to Ukraine in an effort to damage his political opponent and undermine our elections. This resolution ensures a fair and transparent process –Republicans will continue to have an active role in this process, and the President and his counsel will have full due process rights. We must ensure that no one is above the law.

Speaking about the impeachment inquiry. Watch here.

Killing of ISIS Leader al-Baghdadi

I am grateful for the heroism and incredible work of our nation’s intelligence community and our military, with the help of allies, that led to the killing of ISIS leader al-Baghdadi last weekend. ISIS has carried out atrocities across the globe, and their brutality was felt close to home with the horrific murder of James Foley. While this development is significant, the danger of ISIS remains very real and we must not rest until ISIS no longer poses a threat to the United States and our allies. 

Looking Out for our Syrian Kurdish Allies

Our Syrian Kurdish allies risked their lives to help us fight terrorism and we cannot turn our backs on them. I’m proud to cosponsor Representative Jason Crow and Representative Michael Waltz’s bipartisan legislation to provide Kurds and others who helped us fight extremism with U.S. visas. Our nation must welcome these brave individuals with open arms. 

Protecting Our Veterans, Preventing Substance Misuse

On Wednesday, I joined Rep. Jackie Walorski in leading a bipartisan group of 25 Members of Congress in calling on the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to provide an update on their actions to ensure VA clinicians are complying with the VA Prescription Data Accountability Act, which I introduced in 2017 with bipartisan support. The legislation requires VA clinicians to check prescription drug monitoring programs (PDMPs) for patients receiving opioid therapy. 

In light of the nationwide epidemic of prescription drug abuse, which has had a significant impact on veterans, my colleagues and I firmly believe that PDMPs have proven effective and are valuable tools in tracking the coordination of prescriptions, preventing drug abuse and diversion, and reducing doctor shopping. The VA needs to provide an update so that we can work to ensure VA clinicians are providing the level of care our veterans deserve.

Ensuring Veterans Get the Care they Need

After serving our country, many veterans struggle to reintegrate into society, which sometimes leads to them becoming involved with our criminal justice system. This week, I was proud to help pass the Veterans Treatment Court Coordination Act in the House to help strengthen and expand veteran treatment courts and get veterans the care they need.

Preserving Our Natural Wonders and Resources

On Tuesday, I joined Representatives Bonnie Watson Coleman, Tom Malinowski, Mike Quigley and Jared Huffman to introduce the Protecting our Conserved Lands Act. Growing up in New Hampshire, I understand how important it is that we preserve our natural wonders and resources for future generations. Across our nation, local governments and nonprofit conservation organizations have stepped up to protect the environmental, agricultural, and historical significance of land in their communities.

This issue came to the forefront in my district several years ago, when a proposed pipeline project cut an indiscriminate path across southern New Hampshire and threatened critical parcels of conserved land across more than a dozen towns. The Protecting Our Conserved Lands Act will give local governments and nonprofits a voice and a seat at the table, enabling them to protect their land from being recklessly sacrificed when a planned natural gas pipeline route crosses through it.

Here for You

I encourage you to continue reaching out to my Concord office at 603-226-1002 or my Washington, DC office at 202-225-5206 with any questions, concerns or ideas – I love hearing from you! Thank you for everything you do to make New Hampshire such a wonderful place to call home. Have a great weekend!

Sincerely,