As NH Enters School Vacation Week, Granite Staters Demand Ayotte Join Senator Shaheen In Fighting To Make Air Travel Safe Again
- Amplify NH
- Feb 21
- 3 min read
Contact: Ryan Mahoney, ryan@amplifynh.org
As NH Enters School Vacation Week, Granite Staters Demand Ayotte Join Senator Shaheen In Fighting To Make Air Travel Safe Again
MANCHESTER, NH — This past week, the Trump Administration and DOGE blanket-fired probationary federal workers, including 400 employees at the Federal Aviation Committee (FAA). Among those fired were employees critical to airline safety, employees working on a classified radar system to detect cruise missiles, Granite Staters, and high-performers whose probationary status was a result of them getting promoted. In response, Senator Jeanne Shaheen is calling on President Trump to right his wrong and rehire this critical federal workforce.
Amidst two recent commercial airline crashes early in the Trump Administration that resulted in 67 casualties and 21 injuries, New Hampshire Governor Kelly Ayotte has made no public statements assuring Granite Staters about airline safety or providing clarity and leadership in response to the Trump Administration’s federal grant and loan freezes, mass layoffs, imminent trade wars with key New Hampshire trade partner Canada, or Congressional proposals to cut Medicaid that would trigger the elimination of New Hampshire’s expanded Medicaid program that covers 60,000 residents. Ayotte did make time, however, to appear with Trump at the Republican Governors Association meeting.`
"New Hampshire families deserve to know that when they step on a plane, their safety is a top priority. But the reckless Trump cuts have made air travel in America less safe. While Senator Jeanne Shaheen has stood up to fight for Granite Staters, Governor Kelly Ayotte once again seems to be remaining silent and complicit,” said Amplify New Hampshire Executive Director Ryan Mahoney. “Will Governor Ayotte return from her Trump meeting in Washington with answers and assurances for New Hampshire? Or will she continue to make excuses for him while he jeopardizes our safety?”
As news and confusion continue to trickle out from the reckless and chaotic decision-making of Trump and Musk, the picture of New Hampshire residents facing federal layoffs is coming into focus. Among those laid off have been Internal Revenue Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service employees from New Hampshire, White Mountain National Forest employees, National Nuclear Security Administration employees in charge of our nuclear stockpile, Department of Agriculture employees helping to prevent bird flu and protect our food, and Department of Energy employees responsible for nuclear power inspections and implementing the State and Community Energy Program. All eyes are on the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, where the Navy is asking for an exemption, but confusion and anxiety still loom over them amidst anticipated cuts at the Defense Department.
Ayotte, realizing that Granite Staters are demanding action to ensure their safety, is instead making a myopic push to trim around the edges of New Hampshire policy, including the third bail reform effort in the last six years (the first two were signed by Republican Governor Sununu, taking effect as recently as January 2025). Ayotte is also focusing on making sure New Hampshire inmates are not referred to as “residents” — an issue critical to the health and safety of zero people in the state.
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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.
