Thanks to chaos brought on by the Trump Administration's reckless actions, the livelihoods of Americans across the country are in flux. Mass firings of federal employees, spearheaded by Elon Musk, have jeopardized our health, economy, safety and more.
Granite Staters are feeling this impact. And while Kelly Ayotte and other NHGOP state officials have remained quiet in the chaos, our state’s federal delegation has been working to advocate on behalf of our communities. Let’s take a look:
Federal Funding Cuts Hit Granite Staters Hard
A new Congressional proposal for federal Medicaid cuts as part of the Trump Administration’s spending reduction mandate is threatening the existence of New Hampshire’s Medicaid expansion program, which provides health insurance coverage to more than 60,000 Granite Staters. Thanks to Republicans insisting on a 90% Federal Medical Assistance Percentage, New Hampshire is the only state in New England that would trigger Medicaid expansion elimination as a result of funding cuts. In response, Kelly Ayotte “acknowledged widespread uncertainty” about the future of Medicaid expansion in an interview with the Boston Globe.
Despite Ayotte’s inaction in the face of this crisis, U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan hosted a forum last week to address community concerns about these potential funding cuts. Bringing together New Hampshire families receiving Medicaid and a network of supportive health care providers, the forum aimed to sound the alarm about possible cuts in Congress to the state-federal Medicaid program.
“Medicaid helps strengthen our economy, our workforce, and the health of our families and our children,” said Senator Hassan. “The plan put forward by President Trump and Congressional Republicans will drastically cut Medicaid in order to pay for tax cuts for billionaires and special interests. It will have serious and severe consequences for people across New Hampshire and will prevent children and families from getting the health care that they need to thrive.”
And Medicaid recipients are not the only ones facing the brunt of the consequences associated with federal spending cuts. As the Trump administration has proposed slashing funding from the National Institutes of Health, Dartmouth Health and Dartmouth College are at the top of the list of New Hampshire institutions that stand to lose the most funding, potentially driving job loss and economic pain in New Hampshire’s Upper Valley as there are about 1,300 jobs at the college that are funded at least in part by a federal grant.
“That’s a really large impact on the region,” said Dean R. Madden, vice provost for research at Dartmouth College. “We will really try to avoid [layoffs or employment changes] as an outcome of this, but again, medium and longer term, if the research portfolio shrinks, those job opportunities are going to decline.”
U.S. Representative Maggie Goodlander also spoke out against cuts to essential federal funds, noting how federal funding supports the livelihoods of New Hampshire communities.
“We’re talking about existential threats to federal programs and funding that really can’t be overstated,” Goodlander said. “These are dollars that make our way of life in New Hampshire, the Live Free or Die state, possible.”
Federal Staffing Cuts Shrink NH Workforce
And NIH funded endeavors are not the only area in New Hampshire where potential staffing cuts are at play. With hiring freezes implemented and mass firings of federal employees occurring across the nation, New Hampshire institutions have not been exempt.
Despite a plea from Senators Shaheen and Susan Collins (R-ME) earlier this month, the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard (PSNY) has announced a hiring freeze in response to the Trump Administration’s ill-conceived executive actions. Due to the crucial work done by the PNSY, this freeze could have severe impacts on U.S. national security, as well as NH’s economy.
“Our shipyards cannot afford to reduce their workforces,” said Shaheen and Collins in a letter to Navy leaders. “In fact, PNSY needs to hire 550 workers annually just to meet Navy demand for the foreseeable future.”
Additionally, in late February under Trump’s push to cut federal spending, U.S. Forest Service employees in the White Mountain National Forest were among the 3,400 recent hires in national forests throughout the country being terminated along with about 1,000 National Park Service workers. Eleven staffers, all in their probationary employment periods, were targeted by this move.
In comments to the Conway Daily Sun, U.S. Representatives Goodlander and Pappas slammed this decision.
“New Hampshire is home to thousands of federal employees who have proudly dedicated their careers to serving our state and our country, including those at the White Mountain National Forest who keep our public lands and forests safe and accessible for all to enjoy,” said Goodlander. “Granite Staters are paying the price for President Trump’s latest moves to fire federal workers en masse, creating even more chaos and pain for hardworking families.”
“These cuts have been made without any rhyme or reason and will do nothing to keep Granite Staters and visitors safe or protect the forest that drives our tourism economy,” said Pappas. “I urge the Trump administration to immediately put forth a process for rehiring these essential employees, so New Hampshire residents and visitors alike can continue to safely enjoy the many opportunities the forest provides for winter skiing, hiking, and more. Any affected employees navigating this difficult moment are encouraged to contact my office.”
Trump Admin Recklessness Jeopardizes Safety, Threatens to Undermine U.S. Government
In addition to disrupting our economic development, widespread federal staffing shortages pose a severe risk to Americans’ safety. Noting newfound safety concerns surrounding air travel, Senator Shaheen took to the Senate floor to criticize the Trump Administration’s sudden firing of hundreds of Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) employees, in the midst of mass terminations across numerous federal agencies.
“I don’t think people elected Donald Trump to dismantle this country’s air traffic control system,” said Shaheen. “For the sake of our citizens, we must do better. I’m calling on this administration to right this wrong as quickly as possible, before it’s too late.”
Shaheen suggested these terminations, as well as those at other federal agencies, suggest a pattern of hasty decisions with potentially dangerous consequences.
“Either [the administration is] doing it deliberately in an effort to undermine the United States,” she said, “or they’re doing it because they’re so ignorant they have no idea what any of these people do.”
U.S. Representative Chris Pappas shared similar sentiments on the Trump-led chaos, saying last month on CloseUp: "I don't believe this is any way to run a government. It's incredibly reckless and destructive. If your goal is just to break the government, [President Donald Trump's administration] is doing a great job."
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Thank you,
Ryan Mahoney
Executive Director