Homeland Security Hearings

Ayotte Was Absent From 47 Percent Of Homeland Security Committee Meetings

Politico: Ayotte Missed 47 Percent Of Homeland Security Committee Meetings, Including Hearings On Border Security And Drug Trafficking. According to Politico, “Republicans spent 2014 slamming Democratic senators for missing hearings on terrorism, veterans matters and Ebola. In 2016, Democrats are adopting the same tactics – and GOP Sens. Kelly Ayotte and Rob Portman are two of their first targets. Ayotte, according to research by Democratic groups and a POLITICO review, has missed 47 percent of Homeland Security Committee meetings during her time on the panel, including 45 percent of the hearings on border security and two-thirds of the hearings on drug trafficking.” [Politico, 3/28/16]

Politico: Ayotte Missed 84 Of The 178 Meetings Of The Homeland Security Committee. According to Politico, “Ayotte missed 84 of the 178 hearings from her time on the Homeland Security Committee.” [Politico, 3/28/16]

Ayotte’s Campaign Argued That She Had The Best Attendance Record In The NH Congressional Delegation

Politico: Ayotte’s Campaign Argued She Had The Best Attendance Record In The NH Delegation. According to Politico, “‘Kelly had the best hearing attendance record of the entire delegation last session according to the [New Hampshire] Union Leader, and she has a 99 percent voting record,’ Ayotte campaign manager Jon Kohan said. ‘That’s despite the aggressive schedule of the five committees she serves on, where hearings often happen simultaneously, conflict with constituent meetings, or occur when she’s commuting to or from New Hampshire. This is just another negative attack pushed by Washington Democrats who are trying to mislead voters about Kelly’s strong record of standing up for New Hampshire.’” [Politico, 3/28/16]

Ayotte’s Campaign Manager Argued Ayotte Had The “Best Hearing Attendance Record Of The Entire Delegation Last Session.” According to WMUR, “Ayotte campaign manager Jon Kohan said Ayotte ‘had the best hearing attendance record of the entire delegation last session,’ with a ‘99 percent voting record. That’s despite the aggressive schedule of the five committees she serves on, where hearings often happen simultaneously, conflict with constituent meetings, or occur when she’s commuting to or from New Hampshire. This is just another negative attack pushed by Washington Democrats who are trying to mislead voters about Kelly’s strong record of standing up for New Hampshire.’” [WMUR, 4/14/16]

VoteVets: Ayotte Placed “A Lower Priority” On Homeland Security Committee Duties

After It Was Reported That Ayotte Missed 47 Percent Of Homeland Security Committee Hearings, VoteVets’ Jon Solz Said Ayotte Placed “A Lower Priority On Attending Security Committee Meeting” And Called On Her To “Prioritize Things.” According to WMUR, Ayotte’s camp is also fending off criticism for missing 47 percent of Senate Homeland Security Committee meetings during her time on the panel, according to a Politico report this week. Jon Solz, an Iraq War veteran and chairman of the progressive veterans group VoteVets, called on Ayotte to “prioritize things” and said she had placed “a lower priority on attending security committee meetings.” [WMUR, 3/31/16]

WMUR Reported Missed Four Homeland Security Hearings That Did Not Conflict With Other Committee Meetings

Two Of Ayotte’s Missed Hearings Were Around The Times Of Fundraisers For Her

WMUR: Ayotte Missed Four Homeland Security Committee Hearings That Did Not Conflict With Other Committee Meetings, And Two Were Around The Times Of Ayotte Fundraisers. According to WMUR, “A few weeks ago, Ayotte’s campaign was accused in a report in Politico that she missed ‘47 percent of Homeland Security Committee meetings during her time on the panel, including 45 percent of the hearings on border security and two-thirds of the hearings on drug trafficking.’ The point of the story was that Democrats, after seeing Republicans use the issue of missed key committee hearings to their advantage in the 2014 off-year Senate elections, were now using the same theme to try to turn the Senate back to their control in 2016. Democrats, however, were now say they have found four Homeland Security Committee meetings missed by Ayotte that did not conflict with meetings of other committees – and two of the meetings were around the times of Ayotte fundraisers.” [WMUR, 4/14/16]

Ayotte Missed Hearings In October 2013 And May 2014 That Her Campaign Claimed She Had “Scheduling Conflicts” During. According to WMUR, “The Democrats say she also missed hearings on Oct. 28, 2013 and May 14, 2014. Ayotte’s campaign said she had ‘scheduling conflicts’ during those hearings.” [WMUR, 4/14/16]

Ayotte Claimed She Did Not Attend The Fundraisers

Ayotte Missed A Hearing Focused On Prescription Drug Abuse In June 2013 On The Same Day Her Campaign Held A Fundraiser For The Telecommunications Industry. According to WMUR, “According to Democratic research provided to New Hampshire Primary Source, Ayotte missed a hearing that focused on ‘curbing prescription drug abuse’ on June 24, 2013 before her campaign held a fundraiser for the telecommunications industry.” [WMUR, 4/14/16]

• Ayotte’s Campaign Claimed She Was In NH For Part Of That Day And That The Fundraiser Did Not Conflict With The Hearing. According to WMUR, “But Ayotte’s campaign said the senator was in New Hampshire for part of that day and then traveled to Washington. The ‘telecom’ fundraiser was three hours after the hearing, the campaign said, and ‘did not conflict.’” [WMUR, 4/14/16]

Democrats Said That Ayotte Was Listed As A Co-Host Of A May 2013 NRSC Fundraiser In New York City The Same Day She Missed A Hearing On The Nomination Of The Deputy Director Of OMB. According to WMUR, “Democrats said that about a month earlier, on May 13, 2013, Ayotte missed a hearing on the nomination of a new deputy director of the Office of Management and Budget. Ayotte was listed as a co-host earlier that day for a National Republican Senatorial Committee fundraiser lunch in New York City.” [WMUR, 4/14/16]

• Ayotte’s Campaign Said The Hearing Was On A “No Vote Monday” And That She Did Not Attend The New York City Event. According to WMUR, “Ayotte’s campaign said it was a ‘No Vote Monday’ and she was in New Hampshire and did not attend the lunch.” [WMUR, 4/14/16]

NH State House Democratic Leader, Who Was A Vietnam War Veteran, Sent Ayotte A Letter About Her Absences

NH State House Democratic Leader, A Vietnam War Veteran, Sent Ayotte A Letter Regarding Her Absences From Homeland Security Committee Hearings, Particularly Those Related To The Heroin Epidemic. According to NH1, “New Hampshire’s state House Democratic leader is taking aim at Republican Sen. Kelly Ayotte over her absence from Homeland Security committee meetings that dealt with nation security and the heroin and opioid epidemic. State. Rep. Steve Shurtleff, who’s a Vietnam War veteran and a retired U.S. deputy marshal, wrote in a letter sent Monday that ‘matters of national security and addressing our opioid crisis are of the upmost importance to me and many other across New Hampshire,’ NH1 News has learned. ‘That’s why I was particularly dismayed to reading reports of your missing Senate committee hearings on homeland security and combatting substance abuse and disappointed by the insufficient explanations for your absences provided by your campaign manager. That’s why I’m writing today as your constituent to request further information regarding the “scheduling conflicts” that caused you to miss so many hearings,’ Shurtleff continued.” [NH1, 4/18/16]

Shurtleff Argued That Ayotte’s Campaign “Failed To Provide Any Explanation To The Media As To Why You Missed Meetings On Such Important Subjects” And Asked That Ayotte Release The “Scheduling Conflicts” That Resulted In Her Missed Hearings. According to NH1, “But that doesn’t seem to be flying with Shurtleff, who wrote that regarding one hearing ‘the explanation your campaign provided to the media regarding your absence is lacking.’ As for two other cases, Shurtleff wrote ‘your campaign failed to provide any explanation to the media as to why you missed meetings on such important subjects. I request that you release your “scheduling conflicts” to the public so that your constituents may see what you considered more important than attending hearings on our national security and doing the job you were elected to.’” [NH1, 4/18/16]