Hassan provides updates on VA issues, cybersecurity, drone strikes, for-profit colleges

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Sen. Maggie Hassan. FILE Photo

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH) released a flurry of statements on Thursday regarding an assortment of topics.

Concerns over policy preventing veterans from accessing care to address chronic pain

In conjunction with the three other members of New Hampshire’s Congressional Delegation, Hassan wrote a letter to Department of Veterans’ Affairs (VA) Secretary Robert Wilkie regarding non-drug related therapies such as muscle massage and acupuncture that are now limited due to current policies.

“A 2014 study by the National Institutes of Health found that more than half of all U.S. veterans surveyed experienced pain in the previous three months,” the delegation said in the letter. “If not properly treated, pain can significantly reduce a veteran’s quality of life. While often managed with opioids, this approach carries with it a higher risk of substance use disorder, and is of particular concern for New Hampshire, which has the third highest death rate in the country for overdoses involving opioids. We encourage the VA to ensure coverage for evidence-based treatment for chronic pain, which can be an important tool for veterans to manage pain without the use of powerful opioids.”

Amendment included in National Defense Authorization Act for FY’ 21

Hassan’s amendment to improve protection to military members threatened by small drones was passed, with the entire piece of legislation passed in the Senate on Thursday by a vote of 86-14.

“Keeping Granite Staters and all Americans safe, secure, and free is the most important responsibility that we have – and I’m pleased that this year’s national defense bill includes key provisions to support our service members and our state,” said Hassan. “This bipartisan legislation secures a pay raise for our men and women in uniform, directs critical funding for New Hampshire, including at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, and includes important, bipartisan provisions that I authored to protect our military serving abroad from small drones and address cybersecurity threats here at home.”

The amendment regarding drones came after collaboration with U.S. Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman Ron Johnson (R-WI).

“Following up on conversations I had with U.S. military leaders in Afghanistan, I crafted this amendment to help strengthen the Defense Department’s efforts to combat the emerging threat of small drones,” said Hassan. “Despite their size, these drones can be deadly, and our military must have the technology it needs to detect these drones and save service members’ lives.”

The bill also included a provision mirroring the Cybersecurity State Coodinator Act, a piece of legislation introduced earlier this year by Hassan, John Cornyn (R-TX), Gary Peters (D-MI), and Rob Portman (R-OH) to create a federally funded “Cybersecurity Coordinator” for each state, who would then be responsible for helping to prevent and respond to cybersecurity threats by working with federal, state, and local governments, as well as schools, hospitals, and other entities.

Stopping COVID-19 relief for predatory for-profit colleges

Hassan joined with Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Sherrod Brown (D-OH) in asking the rest of their colleagues in the Senate to join them in opposition to COVID-19 relief legislation to for-profit colleges.

The four senators said the announcement comes due to troubling track records from many for-profit colleges regarding misleading students about graduation rates, job prospects and other financial transparency issues.

“As you prepare additional legislation to alleviate the health and economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19), we respectfully reiterate our request that you exclude for-profit colleges from any additional emergency funding intended for institutions of higher education,” wrote the Senators. “Further, in the event that students who attend for-profit colleges are eligible for higher education emergency student aid in the next package, we urge you to include strong accountability policies to support students and protect taxpayers, including policies to prohibit for-profit colleges from using funding for any purposes beyond emergency financial support to their students.”

 

About this Author

Andrew Sylvia

Assistant EditorManchester Ink Link

Born and raised in the Granite State, Andrew Sylvia has written approximately 10,000 pieces over his career for outlets across Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont. On top of that, he's a licensed notary and licensed to sell property, casualty and life insurance, he's been a USSF trained youth soccer and futsal referee for the past six years and he can name over 60 national flags in under 60 seconds according to that flag game app he has on his phone, which makes sense because he also has a bachelor's degree in geography (like Michael Jordan). He can also type over 100 words a minute on a good day.