A week in review: Shaheen joins New Hampshire business owners, local leaders, family members and more on a nationwide tour to help clarify the aftermath of the New Hampshire state bankruptcy
May 26, 2023
This week, Senator Jeanne Shaheen delivered a week-long series highlighting the potential impact of a Republican Party-enforced default on workers, families and industries in the Granite State. Over several days, Shaheen conducted nationwide virtual and in-person meetings with local leaders and stakeholders.
On Tuesday, Shaheen met with local leaders, members of the New Hampshire Municipal Association and representatives from the New Hampshire Commerce Corridor Chambers to discuss the impact a default would have on communities and the business community. On Wednesday, the senator held meetings with nonprofit leaders and advocates in Concord to discuss the impact on families in New Hampshire, particularly those who have access to federal assistance programs. She also met with housing stakeholders to discuss how a default would affect the housing market and mortgage rates in New Hampshire. And yesterday, Shaheen met with the Mount Washington Valley Chamber and local officials to highlight the far-reaching implications of a national default, not just on the state’s business community and economy, but also the specific impact on more rural parts of the state.
For a summary of Shaheen’s meetings throughout the week, see the press coverage below:
WMUR: Senator Shaheen on how a default could affect NH
…If there isn’t a deal soon, they [Shaheen] says everyone who relies on federal money would be affected — including those on veterans’ benefits, Social Security, food stamps and Medicare, and at a virtual meeting today with Granite State community leaders, many told Senator Shaheen that they are middle in your situation You are disadvantaged in the budget process and do not know what you can rely on from the federal government.
“So it’s really unfortunate that this is proving to be a partisan dispute over spending. I think we can all agree that we should take a look at this country’s debt and deficit. I support that, but we shouldn’t do it in the context of paying our bills or not,” Shaheen says.
Manchester Ink Link: Shaheen sounds alarm over potential US default
As the federal government remains at a standoff over a possible default on its debt obligations, US Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) voiced her concerns to business leaders in New Hampshire.
Shaheen’s meeting was intended to draw people’s attention to the precarious state of negotiations between the White House and Congress on raising the debt ceiling. During the meeting, she repeatedly referred to 2011, when negotiations on the debt ceiling stalled to the point that the federal government’s credit rating was downgraded.
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Shaheen criticized those in Congress who she felt openly supported a government bankruptcy for political reasons, but did not name anyone specifically. She also expressed her concern for politicians and others who assume the situation will be resolved and can be safely ignored.
Boston Globe: How a country default would affect NH
The deadline for raising the debt ceiling is fast approaching, but ongoing negotiations in Washington have yet to produce a plan for how the country could avoid a default.
That is raising concern among the state’s congressional delegation, as well as local business and community leaders, about the impact a state default would have on New Hampshire — a scenario that would likely force the federal government to delay paying a number of its bills.
The unprecedented situation could have far-reaching implications for everything from healthcare to Social Security to school lunches. Around 30 percent of state funding comes from the federal government.
“It would really create chaos and uncertainty for our economy,” said Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, who met with business and local leaders on Tuesday. She said a default would likely impact Social Security retirement plans, retirement accounts and national security. She urged business leaders to voice their concerns to federal officials in order to persuade them to act.
Boston Globe: NH families face homelessness if US defaults on federal debt
“It’s terrifying,” a New Hampshire resident said during a roundtable moderated by Senator Jeanne Shaheen. “I don’t know a single person who wouldn’t be affected in some way.”
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“It’s crazy,” she said. “People are falling like flies into homelessness.”
Advocates say defaulting on federal debt would only worsen New Hampshire’s housing crisis. They spoke on Wednesday during a roundtable moderated by Senator Jeanne Shaheen about the impact a default would have on families in New Hampshire.
Berlin Daily Sun: Berlin joins NH leaders’ concerns over debt ceiling default
Uncertainty surrounding the political standoff in meeting the country’s financial commitments persists and its impact would impact communities and local taxpayers. Mayor Paul Grenier joined mayors and city officials from across New Hampshire for a virtual meeting with U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen on Tuesday to voice their concerns.
“Any kind of delay isn’t good,” Grenier said to his fellow mayors from the state’s nine other counties, as well as city officials and administrators across New Hampshire.
Grenier said the amount of federally owned land and unincorporated places in the north country matters to local budgets.
And money is needed for the school lunch program for the 48% of Berlin students who are entitled to a free or discounted lunch, Grenier said. And if a federal prison in Berlin were to delay paychecks for the more than 100 employees there, any federal financial delay would be “devastating.”
Conway Daily Sun: Shaheen tells voters: talk about the debt crisis
During a visit to North Conway on Thursday, US Senator Jeanne Shaheen (DN.H.) urged local residents to voice their concerns about the looming debt crisis to the White House and the Speaker of the House.
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Shaheen said she hopes to travel across the state to urge voters to turn to Congress and the White House to avoid the economic fallout that would result if there is no agreement by June 1 on the debt ceiling would be achieved. “I think that’s the case. It’s important for everyone to let people know what’s going on and why this isn’t an acceptable outcome,” the senior senator and former governor said.
“I believe democracy works when people care enough, and that’s part of my mindset as I try to engage with the people of New Hampshire to let them know what I think about current events, and hopefully encouraging you to talk. “People,” Shaheen told the group…
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