100 Days of Kelly Ayotte: Higher Costs, Inaction, & Empty Promises

Contact: Ryan Mahoney, ryan@amplifynh.org

100 Days of Kelly Ayotte: Higher Costs, Inaction, & Empty Promises

CONCORD, NH — Governor Kelly Ayotte marks her 100th day in office today, Friday, April 18th, but for Granite Staters, there’s little to celebrate. After promising to lower costs and fight for every corner of the state, Ayotte’s short tenure has delivered rising prices, missed opportunities, and a lack of meaningful results.

“In just 100 days, Kelly Ayotte has handed Granite Staters higher prices, looming tax hikes, and silence when it mattered most,” said Amplify New Hampshire Executive Director Ryan Mahoney. “While families pay more at the grocery store, on housing, and in property taxes, Ayotte’s failed to deliver results and has been absent when New Hampshire needs strong leadership. Kelly Ayotte has had 100 days in office — what does New Hampshire have to show for it? Less money in our pockets and an empty chair in the corner office.” 

Ayotte Has Refused to Fight for Granite Staters.

Ayotte vowed in her inaugural address to fight for “all of New Hampshire” and protect New Hampshire’s interests. Instead, she has been wilfully missing in action when it comes to protecting the state from unprecedented and illegal federal funding cuts and actions, choosing not to criticize her ally President Trump:

• She stood by as the Trump administration’s DOGE threatened millions in funding support for law enforcement, veterans, homelessness, and aviation safety in New Hampshire

• She failed to oppose federal job cuts that put Granite Staters out of work, including critical jobs at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard.

• She admitted she was caught flat-footed by HHS funding cuts that contributed to the state’s $80M budget hole.

• Ayotte said nothing as Trump imposed and suspended and reimposed Canadian and global tariffs, threatening to spike the cost of winter home heating oil by $375 and goods from Canada, New Hampshire’s largest trade partner—jeopardizing $1.4 billion in trade, 182,000 jobs and the state’s tourism-driven revenue.

• She was silent as Trump threatened to cut $500,000 in family planning funds, despite her promise to defend reproductive rights as part of her campaign reversal on the issue.

• She has not fought back against proposed federal Medicaid cuts, which could strip coverage from 60,000 Granite Staters while her state budget threatens to force Medicaid recipients to pay an extra $3,396 per year in premiums.

And instead of explaining her positions, Ayotte has avoided public accountability—holding few press conferences and holding no town hall forums to engage with constituents.

Under Ayotte, Prices Are Soaring With Tax Hikes To Follow.

Despite campaigning on affordability, the cost of everyday essentials has surged since Ayotte took office:

• Propane prices rose 5.8% from January to March, jumping from $3.59 to $3.80 per gallon.

• Coffee prices climbed 8.9% from December to March, from $6.78 to $7.39 per pound.

• Eggs reached an all-time high, skyrocketing 50.1% from $4.15 to $6.23 while Donald Trump dismissed public concern, telling Americans to “shut up about egg prices.”

• Granite Staters, who already pay the 3rd highest grocery prices in the country, are spending an average of $7.04 more per month since Ayotte took office.

• Hot-rolled steel, crucial for construction and a key Canadian import, is up 22.6% from $750 per short ton in January to $920 in April.

• The average single-family home price has climbed $3,000 since January, and is now up 7.4% year-over-year.

And under Ayotte’s watch, New Hampshire’s finances are only getting worse:

• Ayotte created an $80 million deficit by refusing to join a lawsuit with other governors that protected their federal funding from cuts by the Trump administration.

• Through March, state business tax revenue is more than $129 million below plan, creating a larger hole in the state budget.  

• The NH House slashed $643 million from her proposed budget, forcing more service cuts that are now bound to force property tax hikes across the state.

Ayotte Talked a Big Game, But She Hasn’t Delivered.

Ayotte’s major “accomplishments” have been mostly for show, while real issues have been ignored:

• Her first executive order? Launching a state DOGE task force, modeled after Elon Musk’s failing project and run by disgraced former Governor Craig Benson, and mentioning it exactly zero times on social media since January 24th.

• She launched New Hampshire’s third bail reform push in seven years, attacking a law her ally Governor Sununu signed that went into effect the same month she took office.

• And while Ayotte claims to care about issues like housing and education, her focus tells a different story. Since taking office, she has posted on X (formerly Twitter) 40 times about bail reform, running a full-court press on the issue while barely mentioning the issues Granite Staters care most about, posting just 7 times about housing, 5 times about cell phones in schools, and never about tariffs or federal funding cuts.

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About Amplify New Hampshire

Amplify New Hampshire is a 501(c)4 nonprofit organization founded to keep Granite Staters informed of the decisions made in local, state, and federal government that will impact their lives and empower them to enact change. For more information, visit amplifynh.org.