Employees of Aesop’s Tables in Peterborough who were scheduled to work on Friday afternoon can now say that they know Democratic U.S. Sen. Maggie Hassan’s coffee order — a hot skim milk latte.
Peterborough was Hassan’s first stop after filing for re-election that morning. She talked with Aesop’s employees, as well as Toadstool Bookshop owners Willard and Holly Williams.
Hassan’s first term in the U.S. Senate will end in January, when she hopes to be sworn in for a second term. Prior to the U.S. Senate, she served three terms in the New Hampshire State Senate and two terms as governor.
Despite being relatively new to the Senate, Hassan said she has learned important lessons that she would carry into her second term and beyond.
“One of the things I’ve learned is that when you really raise the priorities of your constituents with senators on both sides of the aisle, that their constituents are often facing some of the same challenges, and you can get things done,” Hassan said.
The U.S. Senate is currently split 50-50, with Vice President Kamala Harris giving Democrats the majority when tiebreaking votes are needed. However, Hassan said bipartisan work is still possible.
“One of the things I want to be clear with people about is we have been able to get some really good things done in a bipartisan way. I’m proud of the work I did to negotiate the infrastructure bill, particularly high speed internet provisions,” she said.
Hassan also took pride in other bipartisan bills she has worked on, such as the Innovation and Competition Act, which authorizes funding for technology and research in multiple areas over a five-year period, and other legislation that has addressed the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on schools, businesses and first-responders.
Although Hassan has been able to achieve some goals in a bipartisan way, she admitted that the Senate filibuster, which requires 60 votes for bills to pass, has made other goals difficult to achieve.
“I have supported making particular exceptions to the filibuster for voting rights, (and) for a woman’s fundamental right to make her own health care decisions,” she said. “That’s another difference between myself and my opponents, and it’s been very frustrating to see Republicans block progress on that.”
Other policy priorities that Hassan wants to address either in this Congress or the next include lowering the cost of prescription drugs, addressing New Hampshire’s opioid epidemic, suspending the gas tax and ensuring that people get the mental health care that they need. According to Hassan, mental health care is one of the biggest concerns that she hears about from young people.
Although Hassan works in the U.S. Senate, and her work affects the whole of the United States, she also wants to address specific issues within the Monadnock Region.
“When I have been out here, both housing and internet access has been a real issue,” Hassan said, explaining that creating affordable housing and reliable, high-speed internet are both ways to address unemployment in the region.
After leaving Peterborough, Hassan stopped in Keene. She will continue to travel throughout New Hampshire this week to discuss her re-election campaign with constituents.