MEMO: ​Kelly Ayotte Has Been A Disappointment Representing The Granite State In The U.S. Senate

Tonight, Senator Kelly Ayotte will appear in the first debate of the New Hampshire Senate race against Republican primary opponent Jim Rubens. The debate sets the stage for the Granite State to see how much of a disappointment Kelly Ayotte has been during her first term in the U.S. Senate. From not doing her job to fill a vacancy on the Supreme Court, to voting with her party elders 90% of the time instead of prioritizing the people of New Hampshire, it’s clear that Ayotte’s allegiance to her party trumps that of her constituents.

New Hampshire deserves to know exactly how misleading and disappointing Ayotte truly is. Despite painting herself as an independent voice, Ayotte has failed to represent the people of New Hampshire on women’s health issues, making college affordable, protecting Granite state seniors’ medicare and social security, doing her job on national security by showing up to Homeland Security hearings, and instead sides with billionaire special interests and Washington Republicans.

• Ayotte let down the women of New Hampshire when she voted against their best interest on health and their ability to provide for their family.
  • In just this session of the U.S. Congress, Senator Kelly Atotte voted against the Paycheck Fairness Act and funding for Planned Parenthood.
  • As moms become bread winners in their households, Kelly Ayotte voted against a measure that would help provide women the opportunity to take home equal pay for equal work.
  • She voted to take crucial funding away from Planned Parenthood. The organization provides life saving medical screenings and health care services to women across the Granite State and America. In New Hampshire alone, 13,000 individuals rely on Planned Parenthood every year.

 

• Ayotte voted against seniors’ Social Security and Medicare.
  • Ayotte voted to turn Medicare in to a voucher program, to raise the retirement age to 67, and for drastic cuts to Medicare funding.
  • Kelly Ayotte effectively voted against a measure that would have protected Social Security from future privatization and would have made cutting benefits more difficult.

 

• Ayotte made refinancing student loans and going to college out of reach.
  • Ayotte voted against lowering student loan interests rates, thwarting borrowers from refinancing their loans like many Americans refinance their home. Additionally, she voted to take away need – based grants from students. In the 2013-2014 school year, Pell Grants provided college financial aid to nine million students.

 

• Ayotte has turned her back on national security by not doing her job and putting our nation’s safety at risk by supporting Donald Trump.
  • When it comes to national security, she doesn’t show up to work. She missed nearly half of the U.S. Senate Homeland Security hearings, and two-thirds of the hearings the committee held on drug trafficking.
  • Even with 50 GOP national security experts opposing him, Ayotte wants Trump to be the Commander in Chief.

 

• Ayotte’s constituents take a back seat to special interests billionaires.
  • Ayotte is a disappointment to New Hampshire, but she’s gotten a seal of approval from the rich special interests. Ayotte voted with the billionaire Koch Brothers nearly 90% of the time, her first four years in the U.S. Senate.