FACT CHECK: After an "Absolutely" Brutal Two Weeks, Kelly Ayotte's Corporate Special Interest Allies Launch Yet Another False Attack To Prop Up Her Campaign

Press Release

After Kelly Ayotte's "absolutely" brutal two weeks of fallout from her political maneuvering on Trump, her corporate special interest backers launched yet another false attack to try to prop up her campaign.

Governor Hassan enacted two bipartisan, balanced budgets that protect critical priorities while cutting taxes for small businesses and holding the line against a sales or income tax. Under the Governor's leadership New Hampshire has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country, CNBC ranked New Hampshire as the #1 state for business friendliness, and New Hampshire's 2015 median income growth was among the best in the nation. And New Hampshire's Rainy Day Fund, which has more than doubled under Governor Hassan's leadership, is now on track to be filled by the end of the biennium for the first time in recent history.

Governor Hassan has a proven record of supporting seniors in New Hampshire. She worked across party lines to provide nursing homes with a reimbursement rate increase while maintaining a balanced budget. She also signed a law that strengthened protections for seniors by making financial exploitation of elderly, disabled or impaired adults a criminal offense and another law requiring the state to develop an educational program on Alzheimer's disease and provide training to law enforcement on Alzheimer's. She also signed into law a seniors bill of rights and the CARE Act, which improves patient care and supports caregivers who help make it possible for seniors to live independently at home. In 2015 the AARP honored Maggie as a Capitol Caregiver for her efforts.

These false attacks are a transparent attempt to cover up Kelly Ayotte's record of voting to undermine Social Security and Medicare, including cosponsoring legislation opposed by the AARP because it would have cut $1.3 trillion from Social Security and $859 billion from Medicare, slashing Social Security benefits by nearly 20% and increasing out of pocket costs for those on Medicare. Ayotte has voted to turn Medicare into a voucher program, increase the retirement age for Medicare and has said she's open to increasing the retirement age for Social Security, which would jeopardize the financial security of New Hampshire's seniors who have paid into these programs.

The Senate Leadership Fund, a Super PAC affiliated with Ayotte's close ally GOP Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Karl Rove, is trying to prop up Ayotte's re-election chances because she has repeatedly voted for the special interests' agenda at the expense of hard-working families. Last week, the Senate Leadership Fund announced its pouring $7 million more into New Hampshire on Ayotte's behalf. The Washington Post reported, "Trying to get Ayotte reelected is by far the biggest investment that the Senate Leadership Fund is making this cycle." "These are just more false attacks from Kelly Ayotte's discredited special interest allies who are trying to prop up her campaign because they know she's a reliable vote for their special interest agenda in Washington," said Maggie for NH Communications Director Aaron Jacobs. "Governor Hassan worked across party lines to maintain nursing home funding, and she reached a bipartisan budget compromise that was fiscally responsible and protected critical economic priorities for years to come. Meanwhile, Ayotte has sided with the Koch Brothers and voted to turn Medicare into a voucher program and supported a bill that would've dramatically cut Social Security." "No amount of special interest attacks can change the facts about Maggie Hassan's record of bipartisan problem solving to get results for New Hampshire and Kelly Ayotte's record of putting corporate special interests first at the expense of families and small businesses," added Jacobs.

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