Republicans Shut Down the U.S. Government: How NH is Impacted
- Amplify NH
- Oct 6
- 3 min read
This week, Congressional Republicans shut down the U.S. government as a means of trying to accelerate President Donald Trump’s extremist agenda. This reckless partisan move will once again strain working class Americans, jeopardizing essential services and risking the livelihoods of thousands of federal employees.
Let’s take a look at what this shutdown will mean for Granite Staters:
What Does a Shutdown Mean for New Hampshire?
The longer this government shutdown continues, the harsher the implications will be for Granite Staters, as well as those across the country. Here in New Hampshire, more than 5,000 federal employees will either face indefinite furlough or delayed paychecks. At the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, the majority of workers are working without pay.
If the shutdown continues longer than 30 days, the implications on critical federal assistance programs, including the Head Start program, the Special Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), could be grave.
Currently, more than 75,000 people in New Hampshire rely on SNAP.
"If it's a short shutdown, then it should not affect SNAP benefits," said Laura Milliken, who leads NH Hunger Solutions. "Benefits are already scheduled to go out in October. But if it's a longer shutdown, it could affect the November benefits."
New Hampshire’s senior U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen, warned that a prolonged federal government shutdown could cause New Hampshire working families to lose health care coverage or face unsustainable price hikes.
And Democrats from the New Hampshire State Legislature are also sounding the alarm as to how the shutdown will harm vulnerable Granite Staters, urging Republicans in Washington to put their partisan agenda aside for the greater good of the American people.
“The people most affected by the shutdown will be small business owners, people who live in rural areas, working people, older Americans,” said NH Senate Minority Leader Rebecca Perkins Kwoka. “Republicans in Washington need to wake up and care about what really matters to the American people.”
Ayotte Aloof, Downplaying Risk to Granite Staters
While New Hampshire’s Congressional delegation sounds the alarm, New Hampshire Governor Kelly Ayotte is downplaying the severity of the situation. Additionally, seemingly forgetting the chaos and partisan infighting surrounding New Hampshire’s last state budget deliberations, Ayotte urged Congress to adopt the New Hampshire Legislature’s ability of navigating fiscal disputes.
“In New Hampshire, we put together a responsible, balanced budget every two years. Leaders in Washington should take a page out of our playbook and put the needs of families over partisan dysfunction,” said Ayotte.
Apparently, Ayotte is forgetting that the “compromises” New Hampshire legislators made for the “needs of families” in the last state budget gutted critical services and raised costs for Granite Staters. And unfortunately, Republicans in Congress thus far have indeed been taking a page from Ayotte’s NHGOP playbook, heading down a similar path to driving up costs and cutting access to key resources.
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Thank you,
Emma Carroll
Digital Director, Amplify NH