SHAHEEN TO ATTEND WHITE HOUSE STATE DINNER FOR GERMAN CHANCELLOR ANGELA MERKEL

(Washington, DC) – U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), chair of the Foreign Relations Subcommittee on European Affairs, will be one of a handful of senators attending tonight’s State Dinner at the White House for German Chancellor Angela Merkel.  She will be joined by her husband, Bill Shaheen. 

The dinner is only the fourth held by the Obama administration and marks the first official visit by a German chancellor since Helmut Kohl was hosted at the White House in 1995.  Prior to the dinner, Shaheen will meet with Merkel at an afternoon discussion in the Capitol hosted by Senators Harry Reid (D-NV) and Mitch McConnell (R-KY). 

“Germany is a critical ally of the United States, and one that we rely on for close cooperation on a range of issues—from the war in Afghanistan to global economic stability,” Shaheen said.  “I’ve enjoyed working with the German government in the past and look forward to our continued partnership going forward.”

Through her European Affairs Subcommittee chairmanship, Shaheen has oversight of trans-Atlantic policy issues, such as global NATO efforts and U.S.-European relations.  In February, Shaheen traveled to Germany with a bipartisan group of Senators to attend the international Munich Security Conference for a discussion of the major security challenges facing the world.