May 23, 2025

Friends,

It was another busy week in Congress. And, after 30 hours of debate and overnight votes, House Republicans passed one of the worst bills in American history by a single vote (215-214). I was a hard no on this legislation. Let me explain why. 

Watch my full reaction after the vote here.

Speaker Mike Johnson called Republicans’ Budget Reconciliation Package “life-changing.” And he’s right. This bill will be devastating for so many people across New Hampshire if it’s signed into law.

It slashes Medicare and Medicaid and will jack up healthcare costs for all Americans. It will devastate hardworking families and raise costs at a time when prices are already sky-high. And, it sets up the biggest deficit increase in American history.

And for what? To pave the way for trillions in tax giveaways to billionaires and big corporations. 

Watch my testimony in the House Rules Committee here.

That’s not all. This bill is also truly bad because of what it fails to do: actually crack down on waste, fraud, and abuse. That’s why I offered a common-sense amendment in the Rules Committee that would require the Pentagon to pass a clean audit — something it’s failed to do 7 times.

If you really want to talk about cutting waste, fraud, and abuse, isn’t ensuring an audit of the Pentagon a top priority? Apparently, not for House Republicans, who rejected my amendment. 

Watch Michelle and Jen’s stories here.

Let’s get one thing clear: Republican cuts to Medicaid are not hypothetical. These cuts are going to cause real harm to real people — people like Michelle and Jen, two amazing New Hampshire women I spent time with this week.

Please listen to their stories here. We’re talking about the difference between life-saving cancer treatments and death. I’ll never give up this fight.

For real-time updates on my work fighting for you, I hope you’ll follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, Bluesky, Twitter, and YouTube. In the meantime, here’s a recap of some developments from this past week.

DELIVERING FOR NEW HAMPSHIRE’S VETERANS

We have a sacred obligation to ensure that our veterans have the support they need to thrive and enjoy the freedoms they fought for while serving our country in uniform. Ahead of Memorial Day, I was proud that the House of Representatives passed my bipartisan legislation to support disabled veterans in New Hampshire and across the country.

Watch my full speech on the House Floor in support of the ASSIST Act here.

The ASSIST Act will ensure disabled veterans, with help from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), are empowered to make the vehicle modifications they need to travel safely. Specifically, the bill would give the VA greater flexibility to offer financial assistance for a wider range of medically necessary vehicle adaptations that will improve veterans’ quality of life.

Photo of Gary Gordon from the Concord Monitor.

This bill will also cut the needless red tape that has prevented veterans like Gary Gordon of Concord, a fellow Navy veteran who served our country in Vietnam, from getting the medically necessary equipment they need to travel safely.

Read more about the ASSIST Act here.

Learn more about the ASSIST Act from WCAX here.

I urge my colleagues in the Senate to quickly take up this common-sense, bipartisan legislation to deliver for veterans in New Hampshire and across America.

Proud to work with local partners to deliver for our veterans, our service members, and their families.

This morning, ahead of Memorial Day, I was proud to join WFEA for a discussion with Jeff Chidester, Manchester Mayor Jay Ruais, and Harbor Care CEO Henry Och about how we can work together to cut red tape and address veteran homelessness, increase access to healthcare, and strengthen services for veterans, service members, and military families.

If you are in need of assistance, please know that our team is here to help. Call us at 603-226-1002 or visit Goodlander.House.Gov.

STANDING UP FOR PUBLIC EDUCATION

Photo courtesy of Manchester Community College.

Education is the lifeblood and ultimate safeguard of American democracy. Here in New Hampshire, we are lucky to have dedicated educators in our public schools. But they can’t do their jobs without the support they need.

Earlier this week, Senator Maggie Hassan and I hosted an important conversation with education leaders from pre-K through college to discuss the critical role federal programs play in New Hampshire public schools. 

Learn more about this conversation and what’s at stake in New Hampshire here from WMUR.

Funding for educational programs that have changed the lives of students and families across New Hampshire is in peril under the Trump Administration. That’s why I am using every tool I have to fight back. 

Read more about this court ruling here.

This week, we saw some progress when a federal judge ruled, citing the legal brief I filed in defense of public education, against the Trump Administration’s unlawful dismantling of the Department of Education.

Read my full legal brief in defense of public education here.

Whether it is in Congress or our courts, I will never stop fighting to protect these relatively small investments that have extraordinary returns for the people of New Hampshire.

DEFENDING AMERICA’S NATIONAL SECURITY AND NEW HAMPSHIRE’S SHIPYARD WORKERS

Watch my remarks in support of a full-service VA in New Hampshire here.

I am proud to represent New Hampshire’s more than 88,000 veterans in Congress, along with our incredible vet centers, outpatient clinics, benefit offices, and VA medical center. This week, I advocated for New Hampshire's veterans in the House Appropriations Committee.

Earlier this month, President Trump issued an Executive Order directing the VA to work towards expanding services at the Manchester VA Medical Center. I can tell you firsthand that this center is essential to the health and well-being of tens of thousands of veterans who rely on its vital services every single day. I am urging President Trump to deliver on this promise and move swiftly towards establishing a full-service VA hospital, which New Hampshire veterans need and deserve.

New Hampshire is the only state in the contiguous 48 states without a dedicated, full-service VA hospital. It’s long past time New Hampshire joined the rest of the continental United States in having such a center. 

Watch my testimony in defense of New Hampshire’s shipyard workers here.

New Hampshire is a proud home to mission-critical facilities for our national security and defense, including (in part) the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard.

This week, I also urged the House Appropriations Committee to invest in our public shipyards, which means fully supporting our shipyard workers. The women and men of the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard are critical to our military readiness but have been on the receiving end of senseless attacks and crippling uncertainty under the Trump Administration. I will never stop fighting for them.

HEARING DIRECTLY FROM HARDWORKING GRANITE STATERS

I can do my job best when I hear directly from you about what matters most. Below are highlights from my meetings this week with hardworking Granite Staters. Want to schedule a meeting with our team? Reach out on our website here or call 603-226-1002. 

Wonderful to get to sit down with such bright young Granite Staters in our D.C. office!

It was great to welcome NH Civics and students from across our state, including Groveton and Littleton, to our Washington, D.C. office to talk about the issues that matter most to them — from protecting federal funding for our public schools to tackling the mental health crisis in our state.

Our students are our future.

Our conversation left me with a familiar feeling: no one does democracy like we do in New Hampshire.

HOW CAN WE HELP

Our team is here to help you. Whether you need support navigating a federal agency or help with a military academy nomination, we are here to serve you. Please get in touch by calling 603-226-1002 or by visiting Goodlander.House.Gov.

If you have been impacted by – or are concerned you may have been impacted by – a recent change in a federal policy or program, I want to hear from you. Please share your story here. 

If you have witnessed potential wrongdoing under the Trump Administration, please report it to the House Oversight Committee here.  

DOGE has an obligation to respond to specific information demands from any U.S. citizen who exercises their legal right to defend their privacy and establish the security of their private information. If you’d like to complete this form, please find it on my website here.

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I want to close this week’s newsletter by reflecting on Memorial Day, a time to remember the brave Americans who fought for our freedoms and those who gave their lives in service to our nation.

We owe a debt to these brave service members and their families that can never be repaid. This Memorial Day, I hope you join me in honoring the service and sacrifice of our brave veterans.

Thanks for reading, and please stay in touch.

Sincerely,

Maggie Goodlander
Member of Congress

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