Hello Friends, Yesterday afternoon, there was a shooting at the New Hampshire State Hospital in Concord. Thanks to the rapid response of the New Hampshire State Police, the situation was quickly contained, and the suspect stopped in the lobby of the building. My heart breaks for the victim of the shooting who died: NH Department of Safety security officer Bradley Haas.
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Graphic courtesy of WMUR. |
Officer Bradley Haas committed his life to public service. From his 28 years in the Franklin Police Department, including as chief, to his time as a U.S. Army police officer, we are eternally grateful for his dedication to protecting others. My heart is with his family and loved ones.
This was a senseless act of gun violence that shook the community to its core. I am thinking of the Concord community during this difficult time. We are still learning more about the shooting, and my office is closely monitoring for updates.
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The American people deserve better than House Republicans’ dysfunction. |
As you may have seen in the news, this week, Congress passed a government funding agreement, preventing a shutdown and funding the government through the beginning of next year. This agreement came not a moment too soon since government funding would have run out Friday if Congress failed to take action.
After weeks of urging my Republican colleagues to work with Democrats to find a compromise, I was proud to vote once again to keep the government up and running to ensure New Hampshire families can continue to access the critical services and programs they rely on.
While I am relieved that we prevented a shutdown in the short term and kept the government open and serving the American people, this is not a permanent solution. We need to pass a bipartisan, long-term government funding package to end this uncertainty and move our country forward.
Congress has so much left to accomplish this year – from passing a Farm Bill and a bipartisan National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to reauthorizing the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and finding common ground on full-year government funding. I’m fighting to bring together Republicans and Democrats to get all of this done and deliver for the American people.
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Thank you to Rabbi Jon Spira-Savett and the Jewish Granite Staters who met with me this week. |
Also, this week, I met with Rabbi Jon Spira-Savett from Nashua and a group of Jewish Granite Staters on their way to the March for Israel in Washington, D.C, to discuss the ongoing violence in the Middle East, its impact on their communities, and America’s unwavering support for Israel.
It was incredibly powerful to see more than 200,000 people march peacefully in support of Israel, releasing all hostages, and to combat anti-Semitism.
My heart is with the Jewish community in New Hampshire and all around the world as antisemitism has skyrocketed since October 7th. As cases of antisemitism, hate, and violence rise on college campuses and across the country, we must be active in our condemnation of offensive and inflammatory language, including ‘from the river to the sea,’ which has been widely used to incite violence against the Jewish community. We must not and will not tolerate that kind of hate.
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You can read the full letter here. |
Congress may have avoided the immediate and devastating consequences of a government shutdown, but our work isn’t done. On October 7th, 2023, Hamas, the terrorist group governing Gaza, invaded Israel, murdering more than 1,200 Israeli civilians and taking at least 240 hostages, including many Americans. Hamas’ attack was barbaric and sickening, and my heart breaks for our Jewish friends, neighbors, and loved ones as we continue to witness Hamas’ ongoing brutality. While I believe Israel has the right to defend itself and act to bring back all hostages, I am extremely concerned with the unfolding humanitarian crisis happening in Gaza and the West Bank. The United States has an important role to play in standing in defense of freedom, democracy, and peace and protecting the safety of innocent civilians across the region and around the world who are impacted by Hamas’ terror campaign. Among those victims of Hamas’ brutal war are the two million Palestinian civilians trapped in Gaza without access to adequate water, food, medicine, or fuel. That’s thousands of families, seniors, and children who have nothing to do with Hamas’ atrocities or violence, trapped in an active war zone, being used as part of Hamas’ strategy to maximize the devastation of their war. That is despicable. I believe we must halt the hostilities to protect innocent lives and free all of the hostages. The United States must work tirelessly to prevent civilian casualties in Gaza and Israel and deliver humanitarian relief to people in need. I support a humanitarian pause on both sides to allow desperately needed aid to enter Gaza, help Palestinian civilians evacuate, and ensure the safe release of all hostages. I believe Congress has an obligation to provide immediate humanitarian aid to civilians in Gaza and Israel, and I was pleased to see that President Biden’s national security supplemental request included significant funding for assistance to innocent Palestinian people. This week, I wrote a letter to leaders of both parties strongly urging them to schedule a vote on President Biden’s request to deliver emergency security and humanitarian aid to our allies in Israel, Ukraine, and Taiwan, as well as humanitarian assistance to civilians in Gaza. As your representative in Congress, I am committed to ensuring the United States provides assistance to the millions of civilians in Israel, Gaza, and the West Bank. While this aid is essential in the short term, I maintain my belief that long-term peace in the region will only be possible when both the Israeli and Palestinian people can thrive – a two-state solution is the best way to achieve that goal. We must not lose sight of that vision for the Israeli and Palestinian people. We must also continue to condemn antisemitism, Islamophobia, and hate and bigotry in all forms.
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This week, the American Medical Response (AMR) announced that their staff responded to 104 suspected opioid overdoses in New Hampshire’s two largest cities in October — the highest one-month total in over five years. This is heartbreaking – we can and must do more to save lives.
Every life lost to an overdose is a tragedy. To save lives, we must continue pushing to expand access to substance use disorder treatment, ensure naloxone and other lifesaving overdose reversal drugs are available, and stop the flow of dangerous drugs like fentanyl into our communities.
As chair of the Bipartisan Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Task Force, I am proud to lead the effort in Congress to tackle this crisis head-on. Just this week, our Task Force hosted a briefing on the SUPPORT Act, my game-changing legislation to update our national approach to the complicated challenges of mental health and substance use disorder and empower communities to respond to this epidemic.
Learn more about the SUPPORT Act here.
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Our Granite State small business shops and restaurants make our state a wonderful place to live. |
New Hampshire small business owners and entrepreneurs drive our economy and help our state thrive, and the Granite State is home to the best small businesses and opportunities in the country. This week, I had the pleasure of meeting with some gifted local small business leaders and graduates from the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program – these leaders represent the best of our state’s innovative spirit!
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Northern Lights in New Hampshire: With shorter days and longer nights already here, you may be able to see the Northern Lights like never before, right in your backyard! The lights won’t be visible every night, and there will be long periods without any activity, but there could be more chances to see them than in a normal year.
Do you have student loans? The Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE) Plan is the newest income-driven repayment (IDR) plan to help Granite Staters pay off their debts on a schedule that works for them. Currently, there are 10,200 borrowers in New Hampshire’s Second Congressional District enrolled in the SAVE Plan and 21,700 borrowers across New Hampshire!
Learn more about the SAVE Plan and whether you qualify for lower monthly loan payments here.
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.
I hope you have a safe and wonderful weekend! Be bold, be brave, be kind. Sincerely, Annie
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