Today Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and Representatives Annie Kuster (NH-02) and Chris Pappas (NH-01) sent a letter to the Chief Executive Officers of Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion  –  the three major credit reporting agencies in the country — asking the agencies to prevent late or missed payments that occur during the shutdown from negatively impacting individuals’ credit ratings. New Hampshire’s Congressional delegation urged them to work with lenders and borrowers to factor the effects of the government shutdown into their credit reports on federal employees.

“There are 2,400 Granite Staters who are currently furloughed or working without pay, and you should ensure their credit is not impacted by temporary factors outside of their control,” the letter read. “We have heard from many federal employees who fear the shutdown will affect their finances. One of these federal workers is an air traffic controller from Derry, who has expressed concern that his co-workers are not going to be able to pay their mortgages and keep up with their household bills if the shutdown goes on any longer. There is a furloughed IRS worker from Sandown, who has struggled to get a loan from a bank to help pay their bills until the shutdown ends.”

“Similar to how credit scores for those affected by natural disasters are not affected, we urge you to hold those affected by the shutdown harmless,” the letter continued. “Although this disaster is entirely man-made, the effects on New Hampshire families are real, and their credit should not suffer as a result.”

Congressman Joe Kennedy and Congresswoman Maxine Waters have sent similar letters to national credit agencies making the same request for their constituents. The Congressional delegation’s letter is attached in full.

###