It’s Sunday, June 27, 2021. Here is a roundup of recent news regarding New Hampshire’s Congressional Delegation
Shaheen supports new sanctions against Belarus
U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), a senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee (SFRC) and Chair of the Europe and Regional Security Cooperation SFRC Subcommittee praised the Biden administration’s announcement that the United States will impose sanctions against Belarusian individuals and entities, in coordination with its transatlantic allies, in response to the state-sponsored hijacking of the Ryanair flight last month to unlawfully arrest a Belarusian journalist and opposition activist:
“This is a critical step to hold the Lukashenka regime to account, but to also make clear that the transatlantic community is united in holding bad actors responsible,” said Shaheen. “We stand together against Lukashenka, and to all who violate democratic norms and values we say this – there will be consequences. I’m encouraged by the administration’s diplomatic efforts to utilize the tools Congress established and in coordination with our allies. I’ll continue to work across the aisle in the Senate and with the Biden administration to bolster our commitment to the transatlantic alliance and ensure every step is taken to hold autocrats like Lukashenka, who commit these gross human rights abuses and threaten our global security, to account.”
Shaheen recently returned from Eastern Europe after leading a bipartisan delegation to discuss transatlantic relations, democratic reforms and countering increasing aggression from Russia. In Lithuania, Shaheen met with Belarusian opposition leader Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya to discuss the Lukashenka regime’s increasing human rights abuses against political opposition, and also visited Ukraine and Georgia to reaffirm U.S. commitment to these regional partners and promote democratic reforms.
Shaheen helps introduce legislation to fight firearms-based hate crimes
U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) helped introduce the Disarm Hate Act with Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) to prevent individuals convicted of violent misdemeanor hate crimes from purchasing or possessing firearms. The U.S. has seen a spike in hate incidents, including in March of this year, when a shooter in Atlanta murdered 8 people, 6 of whom were women of Asian descent.
“From the Charleston massacre to the Pulse nightclub shooting to the recent massacre in Atlanta, our nation has grieved too many mass shootings at the hands of firearms. We must do what we can to stop these heart-wrenching murders,” said Shaheen. “That’s why I’m joining this effort to protect our communities from senseless violence by preventing individuals convicted of hate crimes from obtaining guns. This is a common-sense measure to keep guns away from violent individuals to prevent future tragedies from occurring.”
The text of the bill can be found here.
NH Delegation Announces Nearly $560K to Expand Telehealth Services at Mental Health Center of Greater Manchester
U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and Representatives Annie Kuster (D-NH-02) and Chris Pappas (D- NH-01) announced today that the Mental Health Center of Greater Manchester (MHCGM) will receive $559,634 to expand access to telehealth services for Granite State veterans and low-income patients.
Specifically, the funding was allocated through the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) Connected Care Pilot Program that Senator Hassan worked to fund as part of the December COVID-19 relief and government funding bill. The program expands the ability of health care providers like MHCGM to offer connected care services like telehealth to underserved communities. These federal dollars will allow MHCGM to provide remote treatment for veterans and low-income patients with mental health conditions and substance use disorders, which make up more than half of the Center’s 11,000 patients.