Dear Friend,

As COVID-19 cases continue to rise in New Hampshire and in states across the country, it’s crucial that we keep up our efforts to prevent the spread of this virus. We can all do our part by taking precautions to protect ourselves and others from this virus, including wearing a mask when in public or around those who are vulnerable, avoiding crowds, practicing physical distancing, and washing hands frequently or using hand sanitizer. We’re all in this together, and it’s on each and every one of us to keep one another safe and healthy during the ongoing pandemic. For more information on how to protect yourself and those around you, visit the CDC's website.

As this unprecedented public health and economic crisis continues, Americans are in need of relief. I am deeply disappointed that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has effectively brought negotiations on another COVID-19 relief bill to a screeching halt. Instead of working to get badly-needed COVID-19 relief to families, businesses, workers, and communities, he is politicizing the pandemic and rushing through a Supreme Court nominee right before the election. I urge Senator McConnell to put the American people first and rethink this misguided strategy.

Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar came before our House Energy and Commerce Committee on February 26th to discuss the rapidly developing COVID-19 public health crisis. That day, I told Secretary Azar that the key to any public health crisis is trust and credibility. Months into this pandemic, more than 223,000 Americans have died, over 8.5 million have been infected, and the Trump Administration has failed to protect the American people. We learned recently that the President knew COVID-19 was dangerous, highly contagious, airborne, and more deadly than the flu in early February, and he admitted to intentionally playing down the threat of the pandemic. Any trust or credibility in this Administration’s pandemic response is all but gone. 

This week, Dr. Anthony Fauci addressed the need for transparency and maintaining the public’s trust in our nation’s public health officials:

"The issue that people say you don't want to alarm people is totally nonsense," Fauci said. "In anything we've ever done in our history, you know from world wars to depressions to anthrax attacks, now to an outbreak like this, the thing that gets people spooked is when they don't know what's going on, not when you tell them what's going on," he said.

"We're a pretty strong country. We can handle the truth."

Last week, I helped to lead a group of my colleagues in writing a letter to Attorney General William Barr, expressing our deep concern over the reports that Purdue Pharma, the maker of OxyContin, and members of the Sackler family were nearing a plea agreement with the Department of Justice that would have resolved all their federal criminal liability for contributing to the opioid crisis. The Justice Department’s announcement this week that Purdue Pharma will plead guilty to perpetrating these crimes is a small step towards justice, but it is not enough. 

I joined with my Republican co-chair of the Bipartisan Opioid Task Force, Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, to call for justice for the Sackler family’s actions and to demand accountability. Millions of Americans have been affected by the opioid epidemic, hundreds of thousands have died, and the COVID-19 pandemic has caused a spike in opioid addiction, overdoses, and deaths. Purdue Pharma and the Sackler family’s actions were willfully shameful and criminal, and the money from this settlement should go towards recovery and prevention efforts to address the opioid epidemic. There will be no justice until members of the Sackler family are held personally criminally liable for what they have done. 

This week, I unveiled my 2020 Jobs and Opportunity Agenda, which outlines a comprehensive approach to help alleviate the impacts of the COVID-19 crisis and get our country on the road to recovery. First and foremost, we must take steps to invest in our current workforce and help those who are out of work land new jobs. By providing businesses with the resources they need to get through this crisis, we can make sure our economy is positioned to quickly recover when the public health situation allows. My agenda also advances policies that expand access to affordable child care so that Granite Staters can get back to work and know that their children are in a safe place while they are working. The policies I have outlined are a down payment on the future of our country, and I look forward to working with my colleagues to advance these measures. 

I was outraged by the rule change from the Massachusetts Department of Revenue which unfairly requires New Hampshire residents who are following public health guidance and working from home to pay income taxes to the state of Massachusetts. Many Granite Staters in the Southern Tier were commuting to work in Massachusetts prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, but they have been working from New Hampshire during the ongoing public health crisis. It’s offensive and unfair to require employees who have been working in New Hampshire for months to continue paying income tax to another state. 

Today, I was joined by Congressman Anthony Gonzalez (R-OH) in introducing the Protecting Our KIDS Act, which would require registered sex offenders to report their accounts on social networking platforms, allowing mobile apps to better identify sex offenders and protect their users. I was proud to partner with Rep. Gonzalez, who is a member of my Bipartisan Task Force to End Sexual Violence, on this important bill. This bipartisan legislation will also mandate this information covers all apps and platforms, regardless of the age of their users. Every American, from a child using a video app to an adult using a dating app, deserves to know they are not being exposed to or interacting with sex offenders.

Today, I also led the introduction of the Carbon Removal, Efficient Agencies, Technology Expertise (CREATE) Act with a bipartisan group of my colleagues. This legislation authorizes a whole-of-government approach to research, develop, and demonstrate carbon dioxide removal (CDR) technology. Climate change is an existential threat to our national security, our society, and the future of our planet. In order to prevent the worst effects, we must dramatically reduce the carbon in our atmosphere. CDR technology has the potential to help achieve this goal and the government should vigorously pursue it. I am excited to advance this legislation as part of my larger clean energy agenda to curb climate change and help us transition to a clean energy economy. 

TOMORROW: Saturday, October 24th is National Prescription Drug Take Back Day. The purpose of this day is to provide a safe, convenient, and responsible way for people to dispose of their prescription drugs, as well as educate the public about the potential for abuse of medications. This year’s Take Back Day will take place from 10 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. For more information and to find a collection site near you, click here. 

We know that masks are a simple, extremely effective way to prevent the spread of COVID-19, but a recent study shows that if 95% of Americans wore masks in public, more than 100,000 lives could be saved. Simply put, masks save lives.

The State of New Hampshire has announced that it will provide $100 million in federal CARES Act funds to the Main Street Relief Fund 2.0. Eligible businesses can apply now and applications will close at 4:00pm on Friday, October 30th. For more information, click here. 

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. If you or someone you know is suffering, there are resources you can turn to and people out there who want to help. Call the confidential 24/7 statewide NH Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-866-644-3574 for help or visit https://www.nhcadsv.org/ for more information. 

COVID-19 testing is available at many locations throughout the Granite State - click here for a list of testing sites (and see map below).

As we enjoy the fall weather and look forward to the winter holidays, it’s important to remember that we are about to be in the midst of flu season. Public health officials and the CDC recommend that Americans 6 months and older get a flu vaccine, and it’s especially important this year during the COVID-19 pandemic. For more information on where to get a flu shot, click here. 

As always, the CDC and the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services are the best resources to turn to during the COVID-19 public health emergency. If you are sick, stay home and call your health care provider. If you live in NH and have questions about coronavirus, dial 211 or visit CDC.gov for more information. 

If you enjoy photography, I invite you to enter my Fall Photo Contest. From now through Monday, October 26th at 11:59 PM, my office is accepting submissions of images and scenery to highlight the Granite State’s natural beauty. Click here for more information. 

To stay updated throughout the week on my work in Congress and around the Granite State, as well as important information and resources, like my page on Facebook and follow me on Twitter. 

Have a fun and safe weekend, and don’t forget to wear a mask when you are in public!

Sincerely,

Annie