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N.H. Delegates Weigh In On Sequestration

New Hampshire Senators Jeanne Shaheen and Kelly Ayotte both say they hope a bipartisan deal can still be reached to avoid many of the worst effects of sequestration. Both Senators helped kick off the FIRST Robotics competition in Manchester Friday morning.

Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen says she’s worried about how the sequester will affect the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard and BAE Systems. And, she hopes it’s not too late to prevent the cuts.

“Well, I continue to hope that saner heads will prevail. That we’ll be able to come together and get a bipartisan agreement to avoid the significant impacts of these automatic cuts that are going into effect.”

Republican Senator Kelly Ayotte agrees that a bipartisan deal is the best way to reach a solution but she says the Senate doesn’t seem serious right now about doing so.

“So I mean I frankly thought that what happened in the Senate yesterday was a charade…to have these two votes of both parties… as opposed to having an open debate and amendment process to try to really resolve this.”

Representative Annie Kuster was also at the event. She says Congress should have never gone home without reaching a deal. 

Before becoming a reporter for NHPR, Ryan devoted many months interning with The Exchange team, helping to produce their daily talk show. He graduated from the University of New Hampshire in Manchester with a major in Politics and Society and a minor in Communication Arts. While in school, he also interned for a DC-based think tank. His interests include science fiction and international relations. Ryan is a life-long Manchester resident.

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