Shaheen, Seacoast Mayors Highlight Critical Relief in American Rescue Plan for Local Communities during Press Conference

**Under the Shaheen-backed American Rescue Plan, NH will receive over $1.5 billion in funding through state and local aid** 

**Relief package also includes provisions Shaheen secured to tackle the severe economic challenges NH working families are facing as a result of the pandemic**

Shaheen highlights the state and local government relief funding included in the American Rescue Plan during Tuesday’s press conference.

(Dover, NH) – Today, U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) hosted a press conference with Seacoast area mayors to highlight provisions in the American Rescue Plan that will provide urgently needed financial relief for struggling local governments. As a result of the pandemic, local governments have faced tremendous financial losses and uncontrollable cost increases that are pushing many near a breaking point. The American Rescue Plan contains billions of dollars for communities like Portsmouth, Dover, Rochester and Somersworth that will help them overcome severe budgetary shortfalls and afford basic services including education, health care and public safety. This crucial funding will also help preserve jobs for essential personnel, such as first responders, teachers and public sanitation workers.

During the event, Shaheen and Mayors Bob Carrier of Dover, Dana Hilliard of Somersworth, Caroline McCarley of Rochester and Rick Becksted of Portsmouth underscored how this relief helps Granite State communities meet the needs of their residents. Specifically, they discussed assistance for small businesses and nonprofits to keep their doors open, working families to put food on the table, expanding COVID-19 vaccinations and more. 

“I’m grateful to Mayors Carrier, Hilliard, McCarley and Becksted for their extraordinary work around the clock to ensure the needs of their communities are met during these difficult times,” said Senator Shaheen. “During this pandemic, the message I’ve heard from local leaders on the frontlines of this crisis has been the same: we need help and we need it now. With our local governments facing severe budgetary shortfalls, I pushed for the passage of the American Rescue Plan in Congress to quickly get relief out of the door. It includes robust, urgently needed federal assistance to help our hardest hit communities and Granite Staters get to the other side of this crisis. I’ll continue to work with the administration to see that these federal dollars are delivered to New Hampshire as swiftly as possible.”

Senator Shaheen worked to secure the passage of the American Rescue Plan through Congress and into law. The new law contains provisions that will to respond to the full scope of this public health and economic emergency. It includes just over $1.5 billion in funding through state and local aid and nearly 600,000 Granite Staters will receive just under $1.5 billion in stimulus payments. Over the past several weeks, Shaheen and the New Hampshire congressional delegation have announced $350.5 million to help schools safely re-open and support students, $20.2 million to help our community health centers expand access to vaccines and $40.9 million to help expand COVID-19 testing in Granite State schools – an initial installment of funding awarded through the new COVID relief law’s $47.8 billion allocated for COVID-19 testing.

Senator Shaheen was a lead negotiator of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act, which secured New Hampshire an initial $1.25 billion to assist with COVID-19 response efforts. Shaheen helped lead discussions on provisions in the CARES to assist small businesses and established the Paycheck Protection Program and expanded the Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program. Shaheen is a member of the bipartisan, bicameral group of lawmakers that has continued to steer negotiations of COVID-19 relief. The COVID-19 relief bill signed into law in December contained Shaheen-negotiated legislation that provided urgently needed assistance to American students, families, businesses, workers and health care providers impacted by the public health and economic crises. Shaheen worked to secure numerous provisions in the American Rescue Plan, which was signed into law earlier this month.