During Town Hall, Senator Hassan Discusses Need to Lower Costs, Tackle the Fentanyl Crisis, and Support Veterans

NEW HAMPSHIRE - Last week, Senator Maggie Hassan participated in WMUR's Conversation with the Community town hall, during which she took questions from Granite Staters on a range of issues important to them, including affordability, tax cuts for working families, the fentanyl crisis, and veterans' health care.

Click here to watch Senator Hassan's town hall with Granite Staters.

"At the end of the day, what I hear from my constituents, regardless of what political party they belong to or if they belong to a political party - here in New Hampshire, we're mostly independents - is that they want to be able to work hard and build a better life for themselves and for their kids," Senator Hassan said while emphasizing how affordability remains a major challenge for Granite Staters.

Senator Hassan criticized President Trump's reckless and chaotic tariffs for raising costs on families and for threatening our relationship with allies, including New Hampshire's top trade partner and neighbor, Canada. Senator Hassan said that her work on the Joint Economic Committee found that in 2025, inflation cost the average New Hampshire family thousands of dollars. "The average cost of inflation, driven mostly by the President's tariffs, has been an additional $2,100 in expenses. It's about $310 in groceries," said Senator Hassan. "Those tariffs are a choice that Donald Trump made. And we need to repeal those tariffs."

When asked about efforts to address the fentanyl crisis, Senator Hassan heard a deeply personal story from a Granite Stater who thanked Senator Hassan for her work as a "recovery champion." Senator Hassan highlighted the bipartisan reauthorization of the SUPPORT Act, which she led the charge to get passed into law last year. "This is a piece of legislation that makes sure that we are funding our first responders so that they know how to respond to an overdose and save a life. It also provides support and funding for recovery centers to provide more treatment, so people when they decide they're ready to enter recovery, they can get into a treatment program right away and then have the support they need to tailor a treatment program to support them."

On veterans' health care, Senator Hassan reaffirmed her commitment to building a full-service VA hospital in New Hampshire while also supporting community care options so that Granite State veterans can access care that is best for them. "What I hear overwhelmingly from veterans in the community is that they wish New Hampshire had a full-service hospital. We are the only state in the lower 48 that doesn't have our own veterans hospital," Senator Hassan said. "I continue to believe that we should have a full-service hospital. I also want to make sure that in appropriate circumstances community care is available."

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