Catching Up with Annie
ICYMI: Rep. Kuster's Build Back Better Tour of the North Country
Concord,
September 14, 2021
Hello Friends,
In August, I was in the North Country on my ‘Build Back Better’ tour, meeting with business and community leaders to discuss their COVID-19 operations and future needs. Our Granite State businesses have done an incredible job adapting during the COVID-19 pandemic, and it was wonderful to see their innovation at work! I’m proud to represent the North Country in Congress, and to bring voices from across New Hampshire to Washington! The first stop of my ‘Build Back Better’ tour was a meeting with local leaders in Lincoln and Woodstock at Woodstock Inn Brewery to hear about their operations throughout COVID-19. I was proud to deliver much-needed support for our Granite State businesses and towns through the American Rescue Plan and Paycheck Protection Program. Our Granite State tourism and hospitality industry has done an incredible job adapting during the COVID-19 pandemic — as we continue to recover, I’ll keep working to ensure businesses have the resources needed to keep employees and customers safe, while allowing people to enjoy all that New Hampshire has to offer.
Next, I visited New Hampshire Detox in Bethlehem — formerly Friendship House — to learn about the new management with Amatus Health and discuss substance use and recovery treatment programs in New Hampshire. Organizations like New Hampshire Detox can help Granite Staters in need get back on their feet and on the road to recovery. I’m proud to be working across the aisle in Congress on the Bipartisan Addiction & Mental Health Task Force to support organizations like New Hampshire Detox, and ensure recovery resources are available to those who need them. I joined The Rocks leadership and Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests to tour the iconic ‘The Rocks NH’ in Bethlehem and hear about their plans for reconstruction after the devastating fire in 2019, and their vision for the future.
Members of the New Hampshire Forest Society showed me around the Rocks Estate and talked to me about their vision for the future. I will continue working in Congress to ensure our New Hampshire outdoor facilities and iconic attractions can continue to be available for our communities to enjoy. In Littleton, I saw the White Mountains Community College’s new training facility — which was made possible by new federal grant money from the Northern Border Regional Commission. The new immersive nursing program at the WMCC Littleton campus gives students the opportunity to train in the setting of a doctor’s office! As we recover and rebuild from COVID-19, it’s critical we prioritize workforce development to ensure Granite State students have the skills they need to thrive, and New Hampshire businesses have highly-trained employees to hire.
It was great to visit Pak Solutions, LLC in Lancaster to discuss their resiliency during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as needs for the future to grow and thrive. Pak Solutions in Lancaster is a leading producer of flexible packaging products used across the United States. As we build back better from the economic impacts of COVID-19, we must be intentional about supporting domestic manufacturing and American workers, and bringing the benefits of manufacturing back to our region to support our communities — that’s what I’m working on in Congress.
American Performance Polymers in Colebrook has been and will continue to be a key partner in ramping up domestic production of personal protective equipment (PPE) like rubber gloves to keep our frontline workers and communities safe and end this pandemic. Producing products like nitrile exam gloves, glove box sleeves and parts, and more, American Performance Polymers is a key player in our efforts to end the COVID-19 pandemic. It was great to see American manufacturing in action at their production facility, and I look forward to sharing the innovation and success of American Performance Polymers in Washington and supporting their ongoing effort to bring workers to the region.
The final stop on my ‘Build Back Better’ tour was the sustainable forestry operation in Errol, NH. Sustainable forestry is not only a key piece of our rural economy in the Granite State, but also is critical in ensuring that we maintain and preserve working forests and protect our planet by sequestering carbon. Sustainable forestry operations like the one in Errol are a key piece of our rural economy.
I’m pleased that Congress was able to secure $200 million for timber harvesters and haulers that experienced a drop in revenue last year, and I look forward to continuing to support our Granite State timber owners through my work on the House Agriculture Conservation and Forestry Subcommittee. As we continue working to recover and rebuild from COVID-19, it is essential everyone has the support they need to thrive. From the American Rescue Plan to the CARES Act, New Hampshire has a lot to look forward to. To stay updated on my work in Congress and around the Granite State and for important information and resources, like my page on Facebook and follow me on Twitter. Sincerely, Annie |