Shaheen Underscores Impact of NH GOP Attacks on Women’s Health & Exec Council Vote to Defund NH Family Planning Providers

Shaheen discusses the impact of the New Hampshire Executive Council’s recent vote to terminate contracts for family planning providers across the state with representatives from Planned Parenthood of Northern New England and Equality Health Center

Later: Shaheen Visits Manchester-Boston Regional Airport & Highlights NH Priorities in Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill

Shaheen visits Manchester-Boston Regional Airport

(Manchester, NH) – Today, U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) hosted a roundtable discussion with representatives from Planned Parenthood of Northern New England and Equality Health Center, two of the New Hampshire family planning providers affected by the Republican-led New Hampshire Executive Council’s recent vote to terminate contracts for family planning providers across the state. They discussed the devastating impact the vote could have with higher costs and cuts to essential health care services for 12,000 Granite Staters. The three providers that were defunded provide eighty-percent of the family planning services in New Hampshire, including cancer screenings, testing and treatment for sexually transmitted diseases, birth control, annual physicals and more. 

“The Executive Council’s vote to defund family planning providers like Planned Parenthood of Northern New England and Equality Health Center is a direct attack on the health and well-being of thousands of Granite State women and their families,” said Shaheen. “As today’s discussion made clear, many vulnerable women in New Hampshire could face challenges like costly fees and delayed access to critical health care – all because of this reckless, politically-motivated effort by New Hampshire Republicans to control women’s bodies. I’m committed to doing everything in my power to ensure our providers can deliver essential care to Granite State women and their families, and I’ll stand up for women’s Constitutional reproductive rights against these dangerous, partisan attacks.”

Shaheen has repeatedly slammed the Executive Council’s vote, and together with the Congressional delegation, has worked to mitigate its impact and ensure providers continue to receive federal funding they need to keep their doors open. The Executive Council’s vote came on the heels of the Republican-controlled State legislature clearing a budget, which Governor Sununu signed into law, that imposes an abortion ban as well as costly, unnecessary ultrasound requirements.

Later, Shaheen visited Manchester-Boston Regional Airport to discuss how the historic bipartisan infrastructure bill she helped negotiate will invest in repairing and upgrading airports across New Hampshire. As New Hampshire’s busiest airport, Manchester-Boston Regional is crucial to New Hampshire’s economy and serves as an important travel and commerce hub for state residents and visitors. The bipartisan infrastructure legislation includes $25 billion to repair and replace runways, gates and taxiways, as well as improve airport terminals and air traffic control infrastructure.

“Today’s visit highlighted how Manchester-Boston Regional is an economic engine and critical transportation hub for Granite Staters, helping spur our travel and tourism industry. As our communities recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and the volume of travelers and cargo increases, investing in our airports has never been more important,” said Shaheen. “That’s why passage of the bipartisan infrastructure legislation I helped negotiate is so important. It contains $25 billion to help our airports improve critical structures like runways and terminals, strengthen safety for passengers and meet the growing needs of our businesses and communities. This bill is good for New Hampshire and our country. The House of Representatives should pass and send it as swiftly as possible to the President’s desk for his signature.” 

Senator Shaheen has long fought to bring federal dollars back to New Hampshire to invest in critical transportation and infrastructure projects to fix Granite State roads, rail, bridges and ports. Shaheen was a lead negotiator of the infrastructure package that passed the Senate, steering 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. 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 today, Shaheen led the New Hampshire congressional delegation to announce the Federal Aviation Administration awarded MHT more than $2 million in federal dollars to support its air cargo capacity.