Governor Attempts to Gaslight Granite Staters on Budget Impacts
- Amplify NH
- Jul 20
- 3 min read
Earlier this month, Donald Trump and his Republican cronies in Congress signed the infamous One Big Beautiful Bill Act into law. In tandem with cuts made in New Hampshire’s recently passed state budget, this bill is set to have devastating consequences on vulnerable Granite Staters.
Republicans in Concord and in Washington have proven time and time again that they are happy to let hardworking Americans pay the price for their political interests. And unsurprisingly, in the midst of this political theater, Governor Kelly Ayotte has failed to stand up for Granite Staters when it mattered most. Let’s take a look:
Ayotte’s Budget Harms Vulnerable Granite Staters, Contrary to Her Rhetoric on Federal Budget
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act is set to make deep cuts to social services in order to partially pay for tax breaks for America’s wealthiest. Among the services cut are Medicaid and SNAP, which many vulnerable Granite Staters rely on.
These cuts will leave states like New Hampshire in the position to choose whether to use state funds to cover the new gaps in federal funding or cut the programs.
“We are evaluating the impact of the recently passed federal legislation on New Hampshire. I disagree with federal reductions to SNAP and Medicaid benefits and will work closely with DHHS to protect our most vulnerable citizens,” Ayotte said in a statement to the New Hampshire Bulletin.
Despite speaking out against further cuts to essential services like SNAP and Medicare, Ayotte’s hypocritical claims fly in the face of the state budget she signed into law last month.
In fact, New Hampshire’s state budget, signed into law by Ayotte, includes detrimental cuts and changes to Medicaid as well. It increases prescription co-pays and charges some Medicaid enrollees premiums. The budget, which was passed before the federal bill, also enacts work requirements, a stipulation also included in the federal bill.
Overall, the federal bill is expected to revoke 18% of New Hampshire’s federal baseline spending for Medicaid. And as of now, Ayotte and Republicans in Concord have yet to come up with a real plan for how to address this looming health care crisis.
NH Congressional Delegation Slams “One Big Beautiful Bill”
While Ayotte and other state Republicans remain silent on the scope of the damage this bill will have on Granite State communities, New Hampshire’s congressional delegation hasn’t shied away from calling it out.
“What this president calls the big beautiful bill, I call the big beautiful betrayal of the American people,” Sen. Jeanne Shaheen said during a press conference. “This bill takes food and health care away from seniors and families to give trillions of dollars more to corporations and to the wealthiest.”
U.S. Representative Chris Pappas, noted the bill’s unpopularity here in New Hampshire, as well as called out Republicans for ignoring Americans’ overall dissatisfaction.
“It’s a cruel bill that contains deep cuts that are going to impact our families, our neighbors, all across the state of New Hampshire,” said Pappas. “This is decidedly unpopular here in New Hampshire … But the fact is, our colleagues across the aisle, it’s not that they didn’t hear it, it’s that they didn’t listen to what people were actually saying.”
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Thank you,
Ryan Mahoney
Executive Director