New Hampshire governor refuses to answer questions on spending freeze impacts on state

As a memo ordering the illegal freezing of federal spending caused widespread confusion across the nation for a second day, New Hampshire governor Kelly Ayotte refused to answer direct questions on if and how the state would be impacted.

Reached by email, Ayotte’s office refused to answer if New Hampshire’s Medicaid portal had, at any point, been turned off as a result of the Trump administration’s executive order, as reported in multiple other states, if the portal had been turned back on, or if any state services had been affected by the freeze.

Ayotte only acknowledged the crisis on Tuesday in a brief statement which said, “My office has been in communication with the White House to ensure that our citizens are not negatively impacted by any unintended impacts and that critical services continue without interruption.”

By Wednesday the crisis had deepened, with the Trump administration withdrawing the OMB memo after an order by a federal judge that temporarily blocked the Trump administration’s move to freeze grants.

The White House then contradicted the judge, saying the spending freeze was still in full effect.

“The President’s EO’s on federal funding remain in full force and effect, and will be rigorously implemented,” said White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt in a post on social media.

Senator Maggie Hassan said the White House’s decision to contradict the judge’s ruling after withdrawing the memo was injecting more confusion in an already volatile situation.

“This is creating more chaos and uncertainty. Instead of muddying the waters, the White House needs to simply stop trying to cut off funding for law enforcement, veterans, seniors, and disaster victims,” Hassan said in a social media post.

The freeze was expected to have a negative impact on nonprofit organizations, particularly those serving veterans and vulnerable populations, through disruptions to critical programming and funding, but many non-profit leaders in the state who receive grants potentially affected by the freeze did not want to speak on the record for fear of retribution by the Trump administration or their state-level loyalists.

Those who did said that the move had created confusion among Granite Staters they serve.

RELATED: Proposed changes to Medicaid could cost NH $500 million annually

Jon Eriquezzo, president of Meals on Wheels of Hillsborough County, said the city of Manchester contacted his organization saying they were halting a HUD grant to fund meals delivered to poor neighborhoods in Manchester, but believed they were incorrect to do so.

“They said, ‘No, it’s based on this memo.’ And they sent me the first memo. Clearly you didn’t get the second memo that says it doesn’t apply to us,” he said. 

Eriquezzo said he hopes that there is enough clarity now that he feels confident his organization will not be impacted by the funding freeze, but that the incident created challenges among individuals receiving meals from the organization.

“It has been a very rough 24 hours, our clients have been calling (asking) ‘Are we going to lose our meals on wheels?’ We’ve had to put out a statement saying no… It’s sad because some of these people are very frail, and elderly, and they depend on us now. 60% of our people we deliver meals to don’t see anybody else besides the Meals on Wheels driver all week.”

New Hampshire Democratic leaders expressed deep frustration over Ayotte’s lack of communication.

“The funds that the Trump administration is withholding from Granite Staters include over 2,600 assistance programs, including essential services such as SNAP, WIC, low-income housing support, school breakfast and lunch, special education funding, community health centers, veterans’ disability compensation, energy assistance, water infrastructure grants, transportation and highway funding, and so much more,” wrote House Democratic Leader Alexis Simpson and Senate Democratic Leader Rebecca Perkins Kwoka in a joint letter to Ayotte on Tuesday.

“How will you ensure that veterans continue to receive the compensation they’ve earned through their service? What steps will your administration take to make certain that struggling families are not deprived of nutrition assistance, childcare, affordable housing, and access to health care? How will the state protect communities counting on critical energy assistance, water infrastructure improvements, or opioid response grants?”

U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, a senior member of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee, said the Trump administration’s move was unlawful and the damage of the far-reaching decision to freeze grants and loans disbursed by the federal government was compounded by the lack of specificity over who would ultimately be affected. 

“The administration’s staggering and unprecedented decision to stop programs and services that families and small businesses rely on is a direct affront to Granite Staters and Americans across the country,” Shaheen said.

“The Trump administration has provided little guidance to the federal agencies tasked with carrying out this unlawful freeze, causing confusion and panic. My office has heard from countless Granite Staters who are concerned about what this action will mean for them, including counties and towns that are waiting on promised funding for work that has already been completed. Let’s be clear: Congress controls the purse strings, not the Executive Branch, and Congress must fight back against this unconstitutional action that jeopardizes the health and wellbeing of families and communities.”