Shaheen Visits Mount Washington Cruises in Laconia & Discusses Upcoming Tourism Season

(Washington, DC) – U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) visited Mount Washington Cruises in Laconia to celebrates its 150^th anniversary and discuss how the region drives tourism in New Hampshire. The Senator took a short boat ride on the Winnipesaukee Spirit, the newest boat in the Mount Washington Cruises fleet, to discuss how the pandemic impacted local tourism and the upcoming summer tourism season.

“Laconia is home to scenic, breathtaking landscapes, which is why visitors travel to the region and why businesses like Mount Washington Cruises have been around for 150 years. I was thrilled to ride on Mount Washington Cruise’s newest vessel, the Winnipesaukee Spirit, as I met with local leaders to discuss the upcoming tourism season,” said Shaheen. “Tourism was among the hardest hit industries by the pandemic, and the impacts are still being felt by our state. I’ve met with local travel leaders to discuss what resources are needed and I will continue to advocate for seasonal workers’ visas. Today’s visit reaffirmed my hope that this season will mark a turning point with a robust tourism season just around the corner.”

Shaheen has led efforts in Congress that support and invest in New Hampshire’s tourism and travel industries that fuel local economies across the state. Since the tourism industry relies on a robust seasonal workforce, she’s repeatedly pushed the Department of Homeland Security to address delays in granting H-2B visas that support seasonal workers. During negotiations around the American Rescue Plan, Shaheen successfully secured $750 million specifically for travel, tourism and outdoor recreation.

Senator Shaheen also visited Mid-State Community Development Corporation’s Little Antlers Learning Center today following her successful push to secure $200,000 through the Congressionally Directed Spending (CDS) process to support families and children in Grafton County. This award will help the center renovate a new building to better provide early childhood education and childcare to families across Plymouth.

“Access to affordable childcare and quality early education are top of mind for Granite State families, particularly as families grapple with surging costs. That’s why I fought to bring meaningful resources to address this issue in New Hampshire through the annual funding legislation – visiting Little Antlers Learning Center today highlighted how important these investments are,” said Shaheen. “It was great to witness renovations that are underway as the center transforms its building to better meet the needs of children and families in Grafton County. I’m excited for the new center’s anticipated opening this summer, and I’ll continue to prioritize investing in quality education and learning for young Granite Staters.”

“There is a critical need for childcare in our rural region, and Mid-State is committed to being a part of the solution. I’d like to thank Senator Shaheen for her successful push to secure funding through the Congressionally Directed Spending process for our Little Antlers Learning Center. By all of us working together, it has helped to ensure that many families in our region have access to high-quality, reliable childcare,” said Robert MacLeod, DHA, Chief Executive Officer.

As a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Shaheen helped secure $69,047,000 for projects across New Hampshire through the CDS process. Shaheen also worked to provide more than $17 billion for key federal child care and early learning programs in 2022, including $6.2 billion for Child Care and Development Block Grants to states – an increase of $254 million over last year’s funding levels – as well as a nearly $289 million increase to Head Start, funding the program at $11 billion for FY 2022. Shaheen has led efforts in Congress to assist the child care sector, which has been among the hardest hit during the pandemic. In the emergency COVID-19 relief legislation that was signed into law in December 2020 and the American Rescue Plan, Shaheen successfully included language that provided $50 billion in urgently needed relief for child care providers. Specifically, New Hampshire has received more than $77 million in supplemental child care funding through the American Rescue Plan. 

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