ICYMI: Shaheen Highlights NH Priorities in Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal During Bridge Visit in Gilford

Earlier: Shaheen Participates in Roundtable on Funding for Local Substance Use Disorder Recovery Efforts  

(Gilford, NH) – U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) visited a Red List bridge in Gilford to discuss how the historic bipartisan infrastructure deal will help address projects like crumbling roads and bridges throughout New Hampshire. The bridge along Route 3 is in critical condition with repairs totaling $2 million. As a lead negotiator of the infrastructure package that passed the Senate earlier this month, Shaheen steered bipartisan talks around the $550 billion investment in our nation’s core infrastructure priorities – including roads and bridges, rail, transit, ports, airports, the electric grid, water systems and broadband.   

“Red list bridges in critical need of repair like the one I visited in Gilford illustrate why our communities need a historic investment in our infrastructure. No one should ever have to worry about the safety of roads as they travel to grocery stores, schools and workplaces – that’s why I worked around the clock to secure a landmark, bipartisan infrastructure bill,” said Shaheen. “I’ll continue working across the aisle to ensure New Hampshire has the resources needed to provide safe, reliable and modern roads and bridges in every corner of the state.” 

As a key negotiator, Shaheen helped shepherd negotiations around the bipartisan infrastructure package and led provisions on broadband and water infrastructure. In June, Shaheen joined President Biden and a bipartisan group of 10 senators to announce the framework of the package, and later joined the bipartisan group on the Senate floor to unveil the bill text of the legislation. 

Earlier in the day, Shaheen participated in a roundtable on funding for substance use disorder recovery and treatment with facilities from across the state. The roundtable was hosted by New Futures, a local nonprofit focused on health and wellness, and discussion centered on how to address surging rates of drug misuse amid the pandemic. Shaheen highlighted her years-long efforts to stem the substance use disorder epidemic through her leadership on the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies.  

“I greatly appreciate the work SUD recovery organizations across New Hampshire do each day to stem the substance use disorder epidemic – saving lives and helping people find health and wellness. These facilities have been on the frontlines during the pandemic, as isolation and economic struggles have exacerbated substance misuse,” said Shaheen. “For years I’ve fought to expand access to treatment and prevention to lower the human toll of this epidemic in New Hampshire. Meeting with extraordinary workers reaffirmed the urgent need for more action at every level of government to turn the tide on the substance use disorder crisis, which is why I’ll continue my efforts to bolster federal resources as the annual government funding process gets underway.” 

As chair of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee that oversees critical anti-opioid funding through the Department of Justice, Shaheen has long led substance use disorder response efforts in Congress.  In government funding legislation signed into law in 2020, Shaheen again included a key provision from the 2019 version of her legislation - the Turn the Tide Act, which she has reintroduced this year - to provide flexibility for treatment providers to use State Opioid Response (SOR) grant dollars to help patients suffering from meth and cocaine dependency, in addition to opioid use disorders. Shaheen wrote the provision in response to discussions with New Hampshire treatment providers. The FY2021 funding legislation also provided $1.5 billion in SOR grant funding, as well as the continuing of a 15 percent set-aside that Shaheen fought to secure in 2018 for hard-hit states like New Hampshire. These combined efforts led to a more than tenfold increase in federal treatment and prevention funding for New Hampshire. 

###