Dear Friends,

I hope you had a wonderful Labor Day weekend and a great week. I want to share with you what I’ve been up to, including announcing and highlighting exciting new federal investments in our communities and meeting with Granite Staters across the Second Congressional District.

I also wanted to take this opportunity to invite you to vote for your favorite photos for my Summer Photo Contest — voting will conclude at 11:59 PM on Monday evening, and the winning photos will be featured here in my newsletter and on social media.

Winners will be decided based on Facebook engagement — likes, shares, and comments. Click HERE to see this season’s entries and cast your vote.

I will announce the winners next week. If you didn’t have a chance to participate in my summer photo contest, stay tuned for details on my Fall 2022 Photo Contest!

It was wonderful to meet with Equality Health Center in Concord to talk about the state of access to abortion and contraception in New Hampshire.

Providers like Equality Health Center that provide critical health care to Granite State women and girls are absolutely crucial to the health and well-being of our communities. I thank Equality Health Center leadership for taking the time to discuss access to abortion and contraception in New Hampshire with me earlier this week.

Last year, when it was clear the precedent of Roe v. Wade and the right to abortion was under threat, I helped to introduce and worked to pass the Women’s Health Protection Act in the House to establish the constitutional right to abortion and create other federal protections. Sadly, the majority of Senate Republicans voted against the bill, paving the way for the U.S. Supreme Court to roll back nearly five decades of hard-fought progress and overturn Roe v. Wade this past June.

In the wake of the misguided Supreme Court decision this summer, we passed the Women’s Health Protection Act again, sending it to the Senate a second time. I also co-sponsored and worked to pass the Right to Contraception Act and the Ensuring Women’s Right to Reproductive Freedom Act in the House. These bills take proactive steps to protect access to abortion and contraception across the country and protect Americans from extremist Republican politicians and anti-abortion activists. I will never stop working to protect abortion rights for women in the Granite State and across the country.

At my urging, the Northern Border Regional Commission (NBRC) will establish a program to address the rural health care workforce shortage. As I travel across the Second Congressional District, I hear consistently about the serious challenges attracting and maintaining the health care workforce needed in our state. I sent a bipartisan letter to the NBRC earlier this year calling for it to use its authority to expand the recruitment of doctors to rural New Hampshire communities to address the physician staffing shortage.

The NBRC has been a tremendous partner in spurring economic development and supporting communities in rural parts of New Hampshire. I’m thrilled the NBRC will begin the steps to stand up a program to help attract health care workers through the J-1 visa program. I look forward to continuing to work with the NBRC to help communities throughout New Hampshire grow and thrive.

I visited Alvirne High School’s Wilbur H. Palmer Career and Technical Education Center to meet with students and educators.

On Monday, I appreciated the opportunity to meet with instructors and students at Alvirne High School’s Wilbur H. Palmer Career and Technical Education (CTE) Center to hear about their working dairy operation, 100-acre forest, and discuss their innovative career and technical learning programs. I have been proud to advocate for legislation to promote skills training programs and broaden access to career development programs.

It was great to hear updates on the CTE’s exciting, innovative, hands-on programs which are helping to meet our community’s increasing workforce needs. Programs like these help to bolster our local workforce and set students up for successful careers right here in our communities. These visits and conversations help to inform my priorities in Congress, especially as I look forward to working with Republicans and Democrats to write next year’s Farm Bill.

Yesterday, I joined our NH Congressional Delegation and representatives from the White House and Treasury Department to announce additional federal funds headed to our state — made possible by the American Rescue Plan — to expand access to high-speed internet for New Hampshire households and businesses. This is the second round of funding from the Capital Projects Fund, making for a total of $122 million headed to our state to expand broadband access.

Reliable, high-speed internet is essential for all Granite Staters, which is why I was thrilled to announce this federal funding to get our state even closer to closing the digital divide and ensuring every family and small business in our state has the high-speed internet they need to thrive. This funding represents a significant investment in our state’s economy and all Granite Staters. Through my work on the House Rural Broadband Task Force and the Energy and Commerce Committee, I’ll continue working to ensure all Granite State students, employees, and businesses have the connections they need.

I hosted a roundtable with housing advocates and local bank and business leaders to discuss the Upper Valley Loan Fund and increasing the supply of affordable housing in the community.

This week, I hosted a roundtable conversation to discuss the Upper Valley Loan Fund with affordable housing advocates and leaders from local banks and businesses. The lack of housing and workforce shortage go hand-in-hand, and the Upper Valley Loan Fund is a win for our state, our communities, and our local economy – especially our small businesses.

This Loan Fund is an incredible asset for the Upper Valley, offering low-cost, flexible financing for projects that produce and preserve affordable rental housing in the region. Thank you to the local leaders who joined me to discuss this exciting investment in our economy and Upper Valley communities – I will continue working to expand access to affordable housing and address this crisis.

You can read my letter to Secretary Granholm and the Biden administration HERE.

Last week, I called on Department of Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm and the Biden administration to prepare to release supplies from the Northeast Home Heating Oil Reserve (NEHHOR) during the cold fall and winter months.

Granite State families are feeling the pinch of high prices at the grocery store and at the gas pump. It is critical that we act to avoid further pain as folks begin to fill their oil tanks for the winter. We’ve taken decisive steps to help lower costs for families in New Hampshire and across the country but more must be done to make sure that no one is forced to choose between heating their home or putting food on the table. 

I will continue to push the Biden administration to take all steps within its power to address high costs facing New Hampshire.

One of my most important jobs as your representative is helping Granite Staters

Do you or a loved one need assistance navigating a federal agency? My office is here to help!

If you need assistance with a federal agency, please reach out to my Concord office at (603) 226-1002 or visit www.Kuster.House.Gov.

As always, the CDC and the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services are the best resources to turn to for information about COVID-19. If you are sick, stay home and call your health care provider.

To stay updated on my work in Congress and around the Granite State and for important information and resources, like my page on Facebook and follow me on Twitter.

I hope you have a safe and fun weekend!

Sincerely,

Annie