Hi Everyone!

I hope you all had a terrific weekend.  I spent last week hearing from Granite Staters about Social Security and Medicare and discussing New Hampshire priorities with constituents.

Thank You for Joining my Telephone Town Hall!

Last Tuesday, I hosted a live telephone town hall to hear directly from New Hampshire seniors about the importance of protecting Social Security, Medicare, and other vital programs.  During the call, nearly 4,000 seniors from across New Hampshire’s second district shared their own stories about why Medicare and Social Security are important to them, and discussed their thoughts on what Congress can do to better support these programs. I also highlighted my legislative efforts to protect the programs that New Hampshire seniors rely on.

One of my top priorities in Congress is to protect Medicare, Social Security, and other programs that are so vital to our seniors and veterans.  I was so grateful for the opportunity to hear from Granite Staters about what these programs mean to them, and about what I can to do on the federal level help our New Hampshire seniors thrive.  Among other topics, I discussed my opposition to using chained CPI to calculate Social Security cost-of-living-adjustments, a move which could significantly reduce benefits for our seniors. I also addressed how closing the Medicare Part D donut hole has saved New Hampshire seniors millions of dollars in prescription drug costs; and I shared my ideas to create additional savings for our seniors by allowing the government to negotiate for cheaper prescription drugs for Medicare recipients.

Hearing From NH Veterans

On Tuesday, I had the opportunity to meet with American Legion representatives from New Hampshire.  They gave me an update on the issues that are facing the veterans community throughout the Granite State and we discussed initiatives on the federal level that would improve benefits and services for veterans and military families.  As a member of the Veterans’ Affairs Committee, I have additional opportunities to advocate for the courageous veterans, service members, and military families who have sacrificed so much for our country.  It is important that we work to strengthen health care benefits, cut bureaucratic red tape, expand job opportunities, and properly honor the dedicated men and women who have worn the uniform of the United States.

Increasing Access to Affordable Health Care

I was pleased by the White House’s decision last Tuesday to allow a special enrollment period to sign up for health insurance from March 31st to mid-April for individuals who had trouble signing up on the Healthcare.gov website.  Earlier in the week, I joined Congressman Raul Ruiz (CA-36) and other Representatives in sending a letter to the Obama Administration specifically asking for extra time for these individuals to enroll in health plans.

This was a critical announcement for people who were unable to sign up for health insurance by March 31st because of website glitches or other technical problems.  Every individual should have access to high-quality, affordable health insurance, and no one should be penalized for problems with the sign-up process that were beyond their control. I’m so glad the President took the advice my colleagues and I gave him in requesting such an extension.

Working to Support the Arts

On Tuesday, I also met with leaders from the Capitol Center for the Arts in Concord.  In addition to discussing some of their recent events and programming, we talked about the importance of federal funding for the arts.  As a nation, it is critical that we continue to invest in public centers for culture and artistic expression.  To help advance our country and society, Republicans and Democrats must also work together to improve the quality of education and to preserve organizations that promote artistic and historical appreciation. That is why I urged my colleagues on the Appropriations Committee to support robust funding for the arts.

Have a fantastic week and thanks for everything you do to make New Hampshire such a great place to live!